Blazing Generations
by TheSib
Summary: The third book in the I Will Not Bow series. The legacy of Wyvern's Inferno has been taken up by the new generation of ALO's greatest players. Rin, Lilly, and their friends embark on new adventures in the brand new Alfhiem as all new challenges and trails test their will and determination. Disclaimer; I don't own Sword Art Online.
1. Peaceful Life

**A/N: Hello fans of I Will Not Bow and Blazing Revolution. You all thought the story was over? Wrong! Ok, actually I did plan for it to be over but a lot of readers were requesting me to make a fic for the kids of my OCs. So by popular demand, here it is.**

 **But before all that happens, I have a small arc planned out for you all before shifting the story to Rin, Lilly, and all the other kids. I hope you will all enjoy it. And for those of you that might not, don't worry it won't be too long.**

 **Also, for any of you that haven't read I Will Not Bow or Blazing Revolution, I would highly suggest going back to read those before this. The story will make little sense unless you do.**

 **Without further adieu, here it is folks. The first chapter of Blazing Generations.**

 **(I do not own Sword Art Online. All rights go to their respectful owners.)**

 _It's been two and a half years since Dan and Alicia have gotten married. Rin has just recently turned one year old, and Alicia is currently pregnant with their second child. The happy couple live in their own home in Tokyo. Alicia is working on her first novel, which is still in the works. Other than Rin, Naoki has also been born as well as Kirito and Asuna's first biological child Strea, and Tetsuya the son of Sinon and Riku. Spring is upon them, meaning Clair and Emi will be home for a week from college for spring break._

 _Life for the happy couple is calm and peaceful right now. Well, at least as calm and peaceful as it can get with a one year old baby and a pregnant wife. But things never seem to stay that way forever. Something is about to happen that will threaten to shake and disrupt the peaceful life they have fought so hard to build. And it all involves a person from Dan's past._

* * *

Alicia slowly opened her eyes as she looked out the window. The curtains were closed, but the shining sunlight was appearing through the cracks. She reached over to the other side of the bed to feel her significant other, only to find that he wasn't there.

Alicia wondered where he was, but the fact that she didn't hear anything coming from Rin's room told her all she needed to know. She lazily got out of bed, taking care with her bumpy pregnant belly. She walked downstairs into the living room and saw a sight that brought a smile to her face.

Rin was fast asleep in a crib. Dan was at his daughter's side, fast asleep on the couch. Alicia smiled as she walked up to the crib and picked her daughter up. Rin was about to let out a wailing sound at having her sleep disturbed, but Alicia's soothing hum quickly calmed her down.

"There, there, Rin. Why don't we let daddy rest, shall we?" Alicia said as she walked over into the kitchen with her daughter. "You had him up all last night I bet."

Rin cooed in her mother's loving embrace. Alicia warmed up a bottle for her daughter and sat down at the kitchen table, feeding her.

Alicia could feel a kick come from inside her. She flinched slightly, but soon managed to smile afterwards. "Sounds like your little sibling wants to say good morning to their sister, Rin." She said as she continued to feed her. "I know you're gonna be a great older sister. They'll bug you from time to time, but you'll learn to love them anyway." She giggled as she thought about how she and her sister Emi were when they were kids. "Speaking of siblings, you're gonna get to see your two aunts today. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

"Well I know they're excited to see her again, at least." Alicia looked up and saw Dan walk into the kitchen. "Clair texted me last night, telling me she got back home last night. And apparently she has a bit of a surprise for us."

"Morning sleepyhead." Alicia greeted with a smile. "My parents said Emi's supposed to be arriving back around noon. Let's go visit Clair and your mother first so she has time to unpack."

"Sounds good." Dan nodded as he took a seat. He smiled at his baby daughter. "Hey Rin. How's daddy's favorite little girl?"

Alicia handed her over to him. "Finish feeding her for me. I'll go make breakfast."

"I can make breakfast if you want." Dan offered. "You should sit down and relax."

Alicia rolled her eyes, but still smiled at him. "Dan, I may be pregnant but I'm not helpless. I can make breakfast." She gave him a peck on the cheek as she walked into the kitchen.

Dan sat back in the chair and continued to feed Rin while Alicia cooked up a plate of eggs for the two of them. She soon returned to the table, placing Dan's plate in front of him. "Here you go."

Once Dan was finished feeding Rin, the couple ate their breakfast together. Their baby girl rested in a crib near the table. The little girl was now one year old, and they'd soon have another one to deal with. Alicia's due day was coming around the corner. Once that happened, Dan would be officially taking a break from work to help out around the house. But with him only working at his job at RECT's Industrial department for just shy of two years now, his vacation days were still fairly limited in number. But using all of them, he'd still have a good month or two to stay with Alicia and their soon to be two children until everything got back to normal.

"By the way, have you heard how are Shino and Shirou doing with Tetsuya?" Dan asked. "I know you and the girls have been bugging Shino all the time ever since you heard she was pregnant."

Alicia pouted at him. "Don't make it sound like that. As mothers, we're all just curious. That's all."

"Mmhm. Sure thing sweetie." Dan said while rolling his eyes. "It's totally not you and the other girls just being nosy."

Alicia pouted at him. "Someone sounds like they don't want dinner tonight."

Dan felt a cold sweat go down his back. "N-No, of course not! I'm sorry."

Alicia giggled at her husband's face and gave him a quick kiss. "Good boy."

Dan and Alicia spent the rest of the morning doing chores around the house. It was Dan's day off so he was able to help around the house today, as well as lessen the burden for Alicia. The neighbors around the area came to check up on Alicia often whenever Dan was at work. Alicia hated being treated like she couldn't take care of herself, but she knew her husband was just worrying about her.

Around noon or so, Dan and Alicia got into the car to go to Dan's mother's house. It was spring break and Clair and Emi would both be home for the week. It had been a few months since either of them had caught up with their siblings, so it was a good opportunity. Besides that, both Emi and Clair had practically been begging them to see Rin.

Finally the couple arrived at their destination. Ren got out of the car and helped get Rin out of her seat in the back of the car. Alicia held the baby girl as they walked up to the front door. After Dan knocked on the door, it only took a few moments before Juna came to the door and answered it. Her face brightened as she saw her son and daughter-in-law.

"Oh Dan, it's so nice to see my baby boy."

Dan blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his head. Alicia giggled at her husband's embarrassed face.

Juna turned her attention to Alicia and Rin. "And Alicia, it's so nice to see you again. And of course my little granddaughter." She wiggled her finger near the baby girl. "Who's a cutie pie? That's right, you are."

Dan and Alicia walked into the house. "Nice to see you too mom. So is Clair home?"

He couldn't tell why, but a devilish grin came to Juna's face. "Yes, she most certainly is. And she even brought a friend from college home for the week."

"A friend? Is she her roommate or something?"

Juna giggled. "You'll see soon enough."

Soon the sound of footsteps were heard coming downstairs. Dan looked over and saw his sister Clair come down from the second floor. She smiled as she saw her brother. "Hey bro. Long time no see." She walked over and looked down at Rin in Alicia's arms. "And hello to you, my adorable little niece."

"What so I just get a hello and my daughter gets all the attention?" Dan questioned.

"You aren't one and a half feet tall and have the cutest little face ever." Clair said. She looked back at her brother with a teasing grin. "Although if we put you in diapers…"

Dan frowned as his sister laughed at him. "You're making me forget the reason I decided to come visit."

The comment only made Clair laugh more. Soon, the group heard the presence of someone else upstairs. "Hey Clair, where do you want me to put my dufflebag?"

Dan and Alicia could only assume that the voice belonged to Clair's friend from college. But to their surprise, the voice sounded male instead of female. Dan looked at his sister with narrow eyes. "Does this happen to be the surprise you mentioned?"

Clair blushed slightly as her mother giggled at her. The brunette girl called back upstairs. "Just throw it down anywhere for now. There's someone I want you to meet."

Soon the person upstairs could be heard making their way down. Dan and Alicia watched as a boy with tan hair and red eyes that seemed to be around Clair's age. Dan and Alicia looked at each other, knowing this could only mean one thing.

"I'm sure you remember Jun from the Sleeping Knights guild in ALO. This is him. Junichi Rikudo" Clair explained. "And we're kinda sorta… dating." Clair looked back at her boyfriend. "And this is my brother Dan and his wife Alicia. You might remember them as Ren and Alice."

Dan had never really seen Jun act nervous before in the few encounters he had with him back in ALO. But for this encounter, Jun was as stiff as a leaf. He bowed his head in front of Dan. "I-It's very nice to see you again, Ren. I mean Dan!"

Clair rolled her eyes and sighed. "I thought I told you, there's no need to be nervous. He's my brother, not some kind of demon."

"Now, now little sister." Dan said. "Your boyfriend is right to be wary of me. After all, I can't just let anybody date my precious little sister."

"Dan! Come on, don't do this!" Clair argued.

Dan feigned innocence. "What kind of brother would I be if I didn't inspect your boyfriend to make sure he's worthy of you?"

Clair pouted at her brother. "This is payback for all the times I made fun of you and Alicia, isn't it?"

"Yep." Dan replied, not missing a beat. He walked up to Jun and looked him in the eye. "Now then mister Junichi, exactly how long have you and my sister been dating?"

"A-About a year officially." Jun replied, his entire body shaking. "We met up a lot in ALO, but couldn't meet up a lot in the real world since we live far away from each other. But we ended up going to the same college, so we started dating more in the real world."

"So if we're counting the time in ALO, then more than a year." Dan said. "Alright then, next question."

"Y-Yes?" Jun gulped.

Dan couldn't keep up the tough face any longer and began laughing. "Relax man, I'm just joking. I'm fine with you dating my sister." He pointed behind him towards his mother. "I'd watch out for her though. She's going to make your life hell now."

Jun nodded his head. "Yes. Thank you."

"One more thing." Dan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. On the outside it seemed friendly, but Jun could tell there was a hidden layer of ice in the touch. "If my sister comes crying to me in tears, there is no place in this world you can hide, got it?"

Jun feverishly nodded his head. "U-Understood."

Dan grinned and patted him on the back. "Good. Now that that's cleared out of the way, how about we catch up, sis?"

Clair pouted and glared at her brother. "You are the worst sometimes."

The group all went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Juna held Rin in her arms as the four younger ones chatted together.

"So I'm curious, when exactly did you two become an item?" Alicia asked with a grin. "I'm surprised Asuna never found out about this."

Clair blushed slightly as she thought back. "Well, we first started hanging out a lot about in ALO a year after Yuuki died. Jun's treatments were working and the cancer in his body was going away. You guys were all at college around that time, so I guess that's why you never found out. Then when I told Jun about what college I was attending, I found out he was going to the same one."

Jun nodded his head. "Once college started, we began dating in the real world. That was at the start of the semester, around a year and a half ago."

"And has he been treating you well? I hope you two haven't been doing anything-"

"DAN!" Clair complained, her cheeks going completely red, causing her brother to laugh. "Ugh, this is exactly why I didn't tell you until now. And don't act like you and Alicia didn't do anything inappropriate back in high school or college either."

"So Clair, I'm curious." Alicia asked, leaning in. "Has Emi told you whether she's dating anyone right now?"

Clair shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. There have been a few talks about guys she's had her eye on here and there, but nothing to suggest she's dating one of them. She's doing wonders on the gymnastics team for her school though."

"I see…"

"Enough about me, what about you?" Clair asked. "How's life living with my brother and a baby?"

Alicia giggled while Dan frowned slightly. "It's fine. Dan's been doing well at his job and I'm almost done with my first novel." she explained. "I've been interviewing Kazuto and hearing about some of the crazy adventures he had back in SAO. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he did back in the day."

"I can't wait to read it." Clair said. "And I can think of a few people who'd love to see some of the stuff in there. Namely Rika."

"It's been awhile since we last had everyone together, come to think of it." Dan said. "I think the last time was at Rika and Yuya's wedding."

"Man, that was a blast." Clair remembered. "I remember all of the roasting everyone did on her at the afterparty."

"She got a lot of us back afterwards though." Alicia said, laughing as she recalled the events. "I think my favorite was what she said about Hyde."

"Hyde… That's Helios, right? The tanky axe-user from your guild?" Jun asked.

Dan nodded his head. "That's him. He and Lilina actually recently had a baby boy."

"Really? That's nice to hear."

"Yeah. Jun's great with little kids." Clair said with a nod.

Dan narrowed his eyes as he looked at Clair. "You sure seem to call your boyfriend by his avatar name more than his real name."

Jun let out a small chuckle. "Well actually, Jun was my nickname back as a kid. I just ended up using it when I made my avatar for my Seed account."

"So you're calling each other by nicknames, are you?" Alicia realized. "What's his nickname for you Clair?"

The couple both blushed at the question, making Alicia know she was onto something juicy. Clair feverishly shook her head and waved her arms in front of her. "N-Nothing special! Just your average everyday nicknames!"

Despite Alicia and Dan's attempts, neither of them were able to get Clair or Jun to go any further than that. The chat amongst the group continued for some time. Clair and Jun talked about how the spring semester at college was going for both of them. Dan and Alicia talked about their life as a married couple, combined with dealing with a one year old baby and another one quickly on the way. Before long, it was time for Alicia and Dan to get going to go visit Emi at Alicia's parents' house.

The couple waved goodbye to Dan's mother and sister, as well as Jun, as they drove away from the house and over to Alicia's parents.

"Jun and Clair, huh? I never realized what a great couple they'd make." Alicia said.

"We should probably make sure not to tell Asuna, though." Dan pointed out.

"Hey, she's not the full-time matchmaker like she was in high school." Alicia reminded him. "She's calmed down a bit from that."

"Fair enough." Dan said as he drove. It took them about a full hour before they had finally arrived at their destination.

As the family of three exited from the car, Emi came out of the house. She had a much slimmer figure than her sister did back in college, a trait that helped her out often in gymnastics in college.

"Hey sis!" Emi said with a cheerful tone to her voice as she ran up to them. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Emi!" Alicia smiled. "How've you been?"

Emi came up and gave her sister a light hug. As the two sisters separated, Emi went over to greet her brother-in-law. "I hope you've been treating my big sister well."

Dan smiled at the college girl. "Nice to see you too, Emi."

Emi looked down at Rin and oogled at the baby girl. Soon Alicia's parents came out from the house, happy to see their daughter and her husband, as well as their granddaughter. The group all went inside to chat and catch up.

For awhile now, Emi had been getting a lot more athletic ever since she had decided to try out gymnastics. Her slim figure helped her in gymnastics, and although she didn't like to admit it, so did her lack of development in her chest. The years she spent playing VR games had made maneuvering her body midair quite easy for her. She was a natural at it.

Most of the talking dealt with Emi telling Dan and Alicia what college life was like for her so far. Dan talked about what it was like working for RECT, while Alicia explained how her novel was coming along.

In the middle of the chat, Dan heard his phone ring. He pulled it out and saw the one calling him was Clair. "Excuse me." he said as he walked into the other room. Dan brought the phone to his ear. "Hey sis. What's up?"

"Dan, you have to come right away! Mom's unconscious!"

Dan's eyes widened as he heard this. "She what?! Slow down Clair, tell me what happened."

"M-Mom, she heard the doorbell ring. She went to answer it, a-and this guy was at the door. Mom saw him and she… she…"

Dan could hear his sister panicking on the other end. "Clair, stay calm. I'm on my way right now." Clair began to say something on the other end, but he hung up before he realized it. Dan walked back into the room where Alicia and her family were. Based on the looks they were giving him as he walked in, he could only assume that they had heard his end of the conversation.

"Something's going on at my place." Dan quickly explained. "I'll be back in a bit."

"I'm coming too." Alicia said.

Dan shook his head. "No Alicia, you stay here with Rin."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. I'll call you the second I get there and figure out what's going on." Dan assured her.

Alicia reluctantly nodded her head. "Alright. Be careful."

Dan nodded his head and walked out of the house, quickly getting into his car and driving off. Some stranger at the door. He dreaded what it could only mean. There were plenty of people he could think of from his past that hated him enough that they would go after his family. The thoughts of those people hurting his mother and sister terrified him. He sped up his driving, desperate to get there.

' _Please. Just let them be safe.'_

* * *

As soon as Dan arrived back at the home, he quickly got out of the car and ran towards the door. When he entered the house, Clair was right there to greet him.

"Clair, what happened?! Is mom alright?!" Dan asked frantically.

Clair nodded her head, though something seemed to be gnawing at her mind. "Yeah. She's ok now. She came to about ten minutes ago."

"And the guy that attacked her? What happened to him?"

Clair shook her head at him. "Dan, he didn't attack her. Mom… well she fainted out of shock when she saw him."

"Him? Him who?" Dan asked.

Clair didn't really know how to say it, but she leaned in and whispered it in her brother's ear. When he heard who it was, Dan's eyes widened in shock. He sped past Clair and into the kitchen where three people were sitting at the table. The first two were his mother and Jun. The third one he knew the identity of based on what Clair had said, but it still took him a moment to comprehend who it really was.

The man seemed to be in his fifties. He had messy black hair and blue eyes. His scruffy face told Dan that he had been living a mediocre life up until now. But in all honesty, Dan wasn't sure if the person staring at him right now even deserved a life as good as mediocre. Clair could feel the disdain coming from her brother as she walked into the kitchen.

The man sitting at the table and looking at him was Satoru Hiryo. Dan and Clair's father.

"Hello son." Satoru said with a forlorn expression, understanding his son's shock right now. "It's been awhile."

Dan stood still, frozen in place like a tree. He couldn't believe it was actually him. But there was no mistaking it. He obviously looked older than he did in all of the pictures Dan had seen of him, it being a good twenty years or so since the last time Dan had actually seen him in the flesh, but there was no mistaking it.

Satoru got up from his chair and walked up to his son. "Dan… I know it's been a long time but-"

Dan didn't give the man a chance to finish, cutting him off with a clothesline punch to the face.

 **A/N: Yep. So I'm guessing most of you can tell what this arc will be focused on. I was originally going to put this arc as a story in Blazing Revolution: Lost Stories, but the current story in there, Papa Helios probably won't be ending anytime soon. So since this deals with stuff post-Blazing Revolution, I figured I'd put it in here. Please be sure to leave a review of your thoughts.**

 **The next chapter will be up in a couple of days most likely. See you all then.**


	2. A Father Returns

**A/N: I'm back everyone. Time for the second chapter of the third book in this series. I will tell you all right now that this chapter is on the shorter side, but since its only been a couple days since last chapter was posted I'm sure you'll understand. Enjoy.**

Dan had always considered what he might do if he ever saw his father again. He had no plans on forgiving him, his father lost that privilege when he ran out on them. He had figured he'd probably yell at him a bit, telling him what a horrible person he was for abandoning his family, and tell him to leave and never come back.

A punch to the face had also been something Dan had considered, but he would have never imagined how satisfying it would feel.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Dan yelled. "How dare you show your face after all this time?!"

Satoru held his hand to his face, recovering from the punch his son had given him. He slowly got up from the ground. "I suppose I deserved that." He stared his son directly in the eyes. "Dan… I came back because I wanted to apologize and make amends."

"Make amends?!" Dan questioned, the rage in his voice not diminishing. "You had TWENTY YEARS to come back and do that!"

"I know." Satoru nodded. "But after all this time… I couldn't stand being away any longer without apologizing."

"Oh so you want to apologize? Where would you like to start? For making me and Clair grow up without a father? For making mom run herself ragged since you weren't here to help provide for us?"

"Dan that's enough." Juna said, standing up from her seat at the table. "Whether you like it or not, he is your father."

"You can't seriously be defending him, can you mom?!" Dan asked. "Did you forget what you went through because of him."

Dan's mother shook her head. "No, I haven't forgotten. But if he sincerely wants to make amends, I feel the least he deserves is a chance. Don't you?"

"Absolutely not!" he argued. "What, did someone blackmail him into leaving? Cause unless that's the case, then I don't see why he deserves even the slightest bit of sympathy."

Satoru lowered his head in shame. "No, that isn't the case. I won't lie, I don't have any good excuse for what I did. But I-"

"But nothing!" Dan told him. "You… You left us to fend for ourselves. Why should we forgive you?" He turned his attention back to his mother. "How CAN you forgive him?!"

"I never said I forgave him. At least not yet." Juna said. "But I am willing to give your father a chance at the very least."

Dan clenched his fists in anger, unable to understand the insanity coming from his mother. "Well don't expect the same kindness from me." With that said, he turned around and stormed out of the house.

Dan walked up to his car and looked up at the sky, wondering why this was happening right now. His life had been going so perfect recently. He had a job he was proud of, a wife he couldn't love any more than he already did, and a baby with another one on the way. ' _Why did this have to happen now? Why did it have to happen at all?'_

"Dan wait!"

Dan looked over to see Clair running over to him. She came up to him and looked at her brother with a concerned expression. "Dan, you're really leaving right now?"

"I can't deal with this Clair. Not right now."

"Why won't you at least give him a chance to see if he's really sorry?" she asked.

"He was gone for twenty years Clair. I can't just forget everything that happened because of that. And frankly, I'm surprised mom can even stand to look at him after he ran out on her." Dan told his sister. "What about you? How do you feel about this?"

Clair was silent for a few moments. She looked down at the ground. "To be honest I really don't know how to feel. I was only a year old when he left, so I never really knew him. My feelings are all confused, so right now I'm not really sure what I feel."

"Well I know for damn sure how I feel about it." Dan said. "I say he should have dropped dead. It would have been better if he'd never come back." He got into his car. "I can't deal with this right now. I have a daughter that's only a year old, and a wife who will be due any day now. My life is too hectic to deal with our mia father suddenly making a reappearance."

Clair nodded her head understandingly. "I won't say you're wrong, Dan. But you should at least think about it once you have the chance."

Dan didn't give any verbal response, instead driving away back to the Tsuki residence. From the front door of the house, Satoru watched as his son drove off. Juna walked up next to him. "You can't exactly blame him for being mad."

"I know." Satoru said with a nod. "To be honest, I expected as much of a reaction from one of you at least. But I still wish I could show him just how sorry I am."

"That's up to you." Juna told him, walking back into the house. "Twenty years without a father can do a lot to a person, especially someone as stubborn as Dan. Getting him to forgive you won't be easy."

Satoru looked out into the distance, knowing his ex-wife was right. As he walked back in, he noticed a family picture hanging on the wall. It showed Dan and Clair seated next to each other, right in front of their mother. He thought to himself. What had been going through his mind back then when he made the decision to run away from the people that should have mattered most to him?

* * *

Emi sat at the table and ate lunch with her family. She had grown to miss a good homemade meal while she was at college. But she could tell looking across the table that Alicia's mind was sidetracked. She hadn't touched her food, and all of her focus seemed to be on Rin.

"Dan will be fine. You need to stop worrying." Emi told her sister.

"I know." Alicia nodded with a sigh. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

"Even if it was, Dan can take care of himself." Emi reminded her. "He's made it through tough situations before. There were all those boss fights in SAO. There was that Ghost guy you talked about in GSO. There was Yamato…" Emi trailed off, remembering that Dan nearly died in the Yamato incident. "Ok, that last one was a bad example. But either way, he'll be fine. And we don't even know if he's in any danger in the first place."

The ring of the doorbell sounded, causing the sisters to both head to the door. Emi opened the door and Alicia was relieved to see Dan standing on the other side. Dan walked inside, and it was clear to both girls that he seemed exhausted.

"Is everything ok?" Alicia asked. "What happened at your mother's house?"

"It's a long story." Dan said with an exhausted sigh. "There's no need to worry, everyone's fine. Well, everyone that matters at least."

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Dan shook his head. "I'll explain later. The news is still settling in right now."

There were very few people, if anyone at all, that knew Dan as well as Alicia. There were very few things that caused him to be like this. Whatever happened at his mother's house, it was definitely serious. But as long as no one was hurt, she saw no reason to force the information out of him.

Dan and Alicia stayed at the Tsuki residence for another hour or so to finish lunch. Afterwards, the two of them drove back to their house. During the drive, Alicia could see that something was eating away at her husband's mind.

Finally they pulled into the driveway of their house. They got out of the car and Alicia helped Rin out of her seat in the back. She looked at her husband as they walked up to the front door. "So are you going to tell me now what happened?"

Dan stayed silent for a few moments before sighing. "When I went to the house… my dad was there."

Alicia gasped as she heard the news. "Your father?! The one that ran out on you and your family?"

"The very same." Dan nodded. He went on to explain everything that had happened when he went over to the house. He explained his father's reasoning for coming back after all this time, as well as his mother deciding to give him a chance to redeem himself. By the end of the story, Alicia could understand why Dan seemed so stressed when he returned.

"So now that your dad is back… what are you going to do?" Alicia asked.

Dan sighed. "I don't know right now. Too much is going on in my life at the moment for me to focus on him forcing himself back into it."

Looking down at Rin, Dan could see his daughter smiling at him. He tickled the baby girl's cheek, making her giggle. It was true. He had no idea what to do about the situation right now. But there was at least one thing he knew for sure.

' _No matter what happens, I'll never become a father like mine.'_ he silently swore to himself. ' _I won't abandon Alicia and Rin, or our upcoming arrival to the family.'_

"Alicia." Dan said. "I promise, I'll always be there for us. I won't run away like my father did. I'll stay by your side until the end of time."

Alicia smiled at him as she leaned in and kissed him. "Dummy. You don't have to tell me that. I already knew it."

Dan hugged Alicia's side and held her close. The couple stood together, staying in their loving embrace. They were a family, and no power in the world would ever change that.

Unbeknownst to them however, there was a threat looming in the air. A darkness that threatened to separate the family life they had built together.

 **A/N: Again, sorry this chapter was short. As I'm sure you can tell, this arc will have a lot of drama in it. I plan to update this on a weakly basis for the first arc at least. Afterwards, it will probably become a monthly update, but I'll make up for it with longer chapters. Please review.**


	3. Lost Time

**A/N: Hello readers. It has been so hard finding time to write out chapters for this with how much I've been playing SAO: Hollow Realization ever since I got it at Christmas (such a good game). Nevertheless, I will continue to do my best to update this weekly for the first arc. Without further adieu, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for.**

The sun shined brightly in the sky over the city of Tokyo. The warm weather and refreshing breeze brought a sense of serenity to those outside. People walked busily through the streets, each of them going about their own business.

Clair however, was completely oblivious to this as she and Jun sat together at a small cafe. Too much had happened two days ago, when her father had suddenly shown up out of nowhere. Her mother had been generous, and decided to give him a chance to show how sorry he was. Her brother had been the complete opposite, shunning their father out of their life and cursing him out for returning. To be honest, Clair had no idea which of them was right in their decision.

"Clair? Hello? Earth to Clair?"

"Huh?" Clair snapped back into reality as she heard Jun's voice. An embarrassed blush appeared on her face. "Sorry. I kinda zoned out there for a second."

"Are you alright?" Jun asked. "You've been spacing out all day."

Clair nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm fine, don't worry."

Jun had a feeling that he knew the answer to his next question already but he asked it anyway. "Does this have to do with your dad?"

A few seconds of silence passed before Clair nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm just so confused right now."

"You never really went into detail about what happened with him. You only gave me the short version of it a few years back." Jun said. "I understand if you don't want to, but-"

"No, it's fine." Clair told him with a shake of her head. She stared into her reflection in her drink as she thought back. "I never really knew my dad. When he left us, I was barely a year old. Dan was five at the time, so he didn't really understand either. But when he realized what our dad had done, he never really forgave him for that. I used to ask sometimes about whatever happened with him, but my mom and brother didn't like to talk about it." A frown came to her face. "I found out from them eventually about how he ran out on us. Suddenly it all clicked together, my mom always seeming sad whenever he was brought up, Dan always having a sore spot about the subject. After that, I just… kinda kept my mind away from him. My family never wanted to talk about him, so I gave up on trying to know about him."

Jun lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I brought up bad memories, didn't I?"

"No, I suppose I needed to talk to someone about this." Clair admitted. She looked up, showing her boyfriend a soft smile. "I'm just glad it was with you."

Jun returned Clair's smile with one of his own as he nodded his head. "Of course. If you need any help getting through this, just ask me. I promise I'll be there for you whenever you need."

Clair let out a small giggle. "You remind me of my brother and the stuff he'd say to Alicia, you know that?"

"Is that a good thing?" Jun asked nervously, not knowing whether being compared to a brother was good or not.

"Well he and Alicia are married now, so I'm gonna say yes." Clair smiled as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "That was very sweet of you to say Jun. Thank you."

Jun showed a small blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah well, I try my best."

"What about you?" Clair asked. "What's your family like?"

Jun showed a sad smile. "To be honest, my parents and I have been distant for some time now. While I was diagnosed with cancer, results showed that I probably wasn't going to make it. I don't know if they meant to or not, but my mom and dad began distancing themselves from me little by little. I guess they didn't want to have to see their dying son over and over again."

"Jun…"

"When I was finally told that things were looking better, and I was going to make it, my mother was ecstatic. She was crying so happily that I wasn't going to die. But it was too late. Even though my parents and I pretended that we hadn't grown apart, the rift was still there. Even now, it still is." He looked at Clair. "That's what I like about your family, minus your dad at least. You, Dan, and your mother all get along. You drive each other crazy in your own special ways, but that's what families are supposed to do. You don't fake anything with them."

A soft smile came to Clair, knowing Jun was right. "Just try to keep that positive attitude with my mother. Trust me, she loved embarrassing Dan and Alicia. I don't even want to think about what she has planned now that I have a boyfriend.

Jun chuckled and the two of them continued their date. Clair managed to keep her mind off of her family for the time being as she enjoyed herself with Jun. For that time, her father wasn't back. Her family wasn't thrown into disarray. It was just her and Jun, and that was all that mattered. The two of them walked through the city streets, ate lunch, and did some shopping. The shopping she admitted was mostly for her, but with it being spring break, a girl needed to improve her wardrobe.

* * *

When they returned, Clair and Jun were both carrying a few bags full of clothes, shoes, and whatnot. As they walked inside, Clair and Jun were about to head upstairs, but Clair found herself stopped short when her dad walked into the hallway.

"Hey dad…" Clair said distantly, reality suddenly setting in again as she remembered he was here. Her dad had been staying at a nearby hotel for now, but he was still visiting every day.

"Clair… I was hoping we could talk." Satoru asked.

Jun could see the turmoil going through Clair's head right now. She still hadn't decided whether to forgive him or not. "Do you want me to be there with you?"

Clair shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." She gave Jun a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be upstairs in a bit. Just wait for me."

Jun reluctantly nodded his head and walked upstairs. Clair walked into the living room with her father. The two of them sat together on the couch, with a distant silence between them.

"Clair." Satoru began. "I know you probably aren't happy to see me. You're probably mad at me like Dan, and-"

"Why did you leave?" Clair suddenly asked.

Satoru looked at her and noticed tears starting to form in her eyes. "Clair…"

"I don't care about how sorry you are, or whether you promise that you'll never do it again. Those are just words." Clair said as more tears began to form. "I've wanted to know you for so long. Mom barely talked about you. All because you ran away and abandoned us." She stared directly at her father. "I want to know why! Why did you leave?! Why did you abandon us?!"

Satoru lowered his head in shame, unable to look his daughter in the eyes with the way she was looking at him. "I wish I could say I had a good reason, Clair. I really do. But I don't. We were going through some rough times as a family financially. Your mother always had that peppy spirit about her, and seemed to believe that we'd be fine. I on the other hand wasn't sure if we would be able to make it. So I ran. I left and ran away like a coward." He let out a sigh. "So often I wanted to come back, but I didn't know what to say. Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. I didn't think about what that did to you and your brother as a result, no maybe I did and just tried to forget about it."

"Dad…"

"I missed out on so much. I missed you and your brother growing up. I missed both of your high school graduations." Satoru managed a small glance at Clair. "I missed out on my daughter becoming such a beautiful woman."

This time, it was Clair's turn to look away. A small blush was on her face, as well as a small smile.

"Clair. I want you to know how sorry I am. For not being there during all those times you may have needed me. For not being the caring father I should have been." Satoru told her. "You deserved a better father than me."

"Dad" Clair said, still looking away. "Dan used to tell me something back when we were younger. Words don't mean anything if you don't put action behind them. I know you're sorry. You keep saying that. But… saying it isn't enough."

"I know." Satoru nodded. "Speaking of your brother, your mother told me that Dan's married now." Satoru mentioned. He let out a harsh laugh, directed at himself. "My own son's wedding. I even missed out on that." He looked at his daughter. "Clair… do you mind telling me how Dan and his wife met, Alicia was it?"

Clair turned back to her father. "Mom didn't tell you?"

Satoru shook his head. "No. She showed me pictures of her and Dan, but she neglected to tell me how they met. I assumed it was at school. But I want to know the facts. I was gone for so long, I don't even have the right to assume what happened during my kids' lives anymore."

A grim look came to Clair's face as she looked down at the ground. Talking about this would force her to go back to the worst two years of her life. "They didn't meet at school, dad. The first time they met… well it was under unique circumstances."

"What do you mean?" Satoru asked.

"Dad… do you remember the Sword Art Online incident about ten years ago?"

Satoru nodded his head. "Yes, of course. It was all over the news. What does this have to do with Dan and Alicia?"

"Because Dan was one of the ten thousand people trapped in that game." Clair explained. The shock of Satoru's face was easy to see. His eyes slowly widened as Clair continued. "They both were. Dan and Alicia met inside SAO. They became a couple during that time."

Satoru stayed silent for a while as he processed the news. He had heard about the horrors of the SAO Incident from the media. But he had never thought that his son had been a part of such a horrible tragedy.

"I really am a horrible father." Satoru said. "You and your mother must have been so worried during that time. And I was gone, completely oblivious to the fact that he was even in danger." He wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes before they could show. "Clair… could you tell me where Dan lives right now? I want to talk with him. I need to tell him I'm sorry."

A few moments of silence passed as Clair thought to herself. Finally she shook her head. "I'm sorry dad, but I won't do that."

"Please Clair, I need to speak with him! If I don't, I won't be able to-"

"I don't think you realize how much Dan resents you for what you did." Clair told him. "He always hated you for running out on mom. He saw how hard it was for her to scrape by without you around to help. He was able to see her suffering more than I did, cause he was older."

"I know that! That's why I want to talk to him and-"

"But you don't have the right to force that conversation on him." Clair said, interrupting him again. "If and when you two ever speak again, I feel it should be on Dan's terms. It should be up to him if he decides to see you again."

Satoru lowered his head. "Yes… I suppose you're right."

Clair got up from the couch and began to walk away. "See you later dad. Thanks for the talk." she walked upstairs and into her room. Jun was staying in Dan's old room right now since it was vacant and she didn't need her mother always mentioning them sleeping together. Clair laid down on her bed with an exhausted sigh. She stared up at the ceiling.

She felt so torn. Her father was clearly sorry. Why shouldn't she try to forgive him? But at the same time, she knew that Dan had a point. He was gone for twenty years, and Dan was able to notice the effects of it on their mother since she couldn't even remember back then.

' _What am I supposed to do?'_ Clair asked herself.

 **A/N: So what did you all think? I felt that Clair and Jun's relationship needed to be brought out a bit, as well as Clair's feelings towards her dad. Please review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Old Faces

**A/N: Hello everyone. I'm finally back at college. While I won't have as much time to write as a result, I'll be sure to get the remaining chapters for this arc out on the weekly basis I've been going with. Afterwards though, I can't make any promises.**

Alicia sat in a rocking chair in the living room of her house, gently rocking a sleeping Rin in her arms. Dan was at work, so that left her all to herself. She thought about what to do, and decided to simply spend some time with her daughter.

"When the new baby comes, mommy won't be able to be there for you all the time." Alicia told her daughter. "But that doesn't mean I love you any less. You and your little brother or sister will just have to learn to share mommy together."

Rin couldn't hear what Alicia was saying since she was fast asleep in her arms. But that didn't matter. All Alicia cared about was being able to relax like this as a mother.

The phone soon rang, forcing Alicia to get up from her seat. She gently put Rin into a crib and walked over to the phone, picking it up and bringing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Alicia."

"Asuna. It's so good to hear from you." Alicia said. "How's Strea?"

"Oh she's a handful." Asuna said jokingly. "I'm just glad Kazuto and I never had to go through this with Yui. What about you? How's Rin and her soon-to-be sibling?"

Alicia smiled as she rubbed her bulging belly. "The baby's been kicking a lot recently. I'm sure they'll be coming any day now. As for Rin-" Alicia stopped talking as she began to her crying coming from the room she had just left from. "It would seem she's up from her nap."

"She sounds cranky."

"She always is." Alicia said with a giggle as she walked into the living room and held Rin in one arm while managing to hold the phone in the other. "There, there. Mommy's here."

"Sounds like you're going to be busy once the second one arrives." Asuna said.

"Luckily I'll have Dan helping me then. He's using his vacation days to stay home and help me until things settle down." Alicia told her. "Until then, the neighbors have been helping me here and there. Plus Clair and Emi volunteered to help out while they're home."

"Yeah, Suguha and Midori helped me out a lot while I was pregnant." Asuna explained.

"Speaking of your family, how's Yui doing with her new sister?"

Asuna giggled from the other line. "Yui adores her. Kazuto made a slight upgraded version to the device Yui used to interact with us IRL. Now she's able to roam about the house."

"That's great."

"It really is. I felt bad not being able to spend time with Yui in ALO while I was pregnant. But now she and I can interact IRL while I take care of Strea." Asuna heard Yui call for her in the other room. "Sorry, I have to go. Good luck with the new baby, Alicia."

Alicia hung up the phone and went back to rocking Rin in her arms. The doorbell sounded and Alicia sighed. "So much for a quick rest." She walked to the door and opened it, finding Clair on the other side.

"Clair, it's so good to see you." Alicia smiled.

"Nice to see you too, Alicia." Clair said as she walked in. "So what do you need help with. I'm here for whatever you need me to do today."

"Well, there is one thing I need to do." Alicia said.

"What is it? Shopping? Laundry?"

"No, nothing like that." Alicia said with a shake of her head. "There's a place I need to visit."

* * *

When his day at work finally ended, Dan was exhausted. RECT Progress's latest project that he had been put on the design team for was becoming more and more complex as time went on. He remembered being one of the top students in his class at college. But here, there were so many people with much more knowledge and experience than him. He knew this was what it would be like, and he was adjusting well, but it was still tiring.

Usually after work, he'd head right home to help out Alicia. But he had something else planned for later this afternoon. It had been awhile, so he and the guys were all planning on meeting up at Dicey Cafe to catch up and hang out. Clair had also volunteered to help out around the house today, so he wouldn't have to worry about Alicia.

As Dan walked into the bar, he heard the familiar chime of the Dicey Cafe's bell. Kazuto, Hyde, and Shirou were all already there.

Agil waved over to him. "Hey man. Finally showed up, eh?"

"Sorry for being late. Work's been keeping me busy." Dan said.

"Must be tough, being a brainy nerd." Hyde teased.

"Oh, and it's so much better being a low paying storyboard writer?" Kazuto countered.

"Hey!"

Dan let out a small chuckle as he took a seat. "It's nice to see you guys again. It's been awhile."

"Well we're all busy so often with all of us being fathers now." Shirou said.

"Heh, I'd hate to be the kid that grows up with you as their father figure." Hyde smirked towards Shirou.

Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Oh please, if anything you're the one everyone's worried about being a father."

"What was that?!"

"Okay you two, no fighting." Dan said. He looked over a Shirou. "How is Shino doing with Tetsuya anyway?"

"Shino's a little mad about having to take time off from work to take care of the new baby, but she's a really great mom." Shirou said. "Tetsuya always smiles whenever she holds him."

"What about you Dan?" Kazuto asked. "How's the upcoming baby?"

"Should be due any day now." Dan told him. "The suspense is killing me." He looked around the group. "So what's new with you guys?"

"Not much." Hyde shrugged. "Write stuff, it gets put into storylines for games. Same old, same old."

"Same here." Shirou said. "Work's been pretty dull."

"I'm working on a few designs for VR tech." Kzuto explained. "But so far it's been at a standstill."

Dan sighed as he leaned back. "I wish work was the only thing stressing me out."

"What's up? Did something happen?" Hyde asked.

Dan paused a few moments before finally answering. "... My dad showed up a few days ago."

The group gasped as they stared at Dan. Shirou was the first to speak. "Your dad?! He's back?! After all this time?!"

"Yep." Dan said with an annoyed tone. "Twenty years he's been gone and suddenly bam, he comes back out of nowhere. He says he's sorry and goes asking me to forgive him."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Kazuto asked.

"That's what I've been asking myself the past few days." Dan said. "I don't know if I can forgive him after what he did." He looked over at Hyde. "What do you think Hyde? You and your mom had a pretty rocky relationship when you were younger. What would you do?"

Hyde stayed silent for a bit as he thought. It was true that he and his mother were pretty distant for several years back when he was a kid. Heck, they pretty much hated each other at one point. He was glad they had made up eventually and the two of them were close again as a mother and son should be. But there was one main difference.

"It's not really the same as what you're going through. Granted, I resented my mother a lot for putting me in Shu's shadow, but she was at least there." Hyde explained. "I don't really know what you should do. You're going to have to figure that out yourself."

"I suppose you're right." Dan sighed. "I'm just so… angry. Why did he disappear? Why did he decide to show up now after all this time?"

"That's something you'll have to ask him yourself." Shirou said.

Dan silently nodded his head. Everything pointed towards him having to come face to face with his father once again. All he wanted to do was get away from it and pretend he wasn't really back. But then he'd be running away, just like his father did.

"I guess I have no choice. I'm going to have to confront him again." Dan admitted. "But not now at least. Alicia will be due any day. She needs me more right now."

"That sounds like a good plan." Kazuto nodded. "Good luck."

* * *

Clair and Alicia walked through the streets in the warm spring weather. Rin was in a stroller, which was being pushed by Clair. Alicia still hadn't told Clair where it was they were going, but she was sure Clair would understand once they got there.

"Thanks for coming with me, Clair." Alicia said. "I really wanted to come here, but if I went by myself Dan would have been worried sick."

"Well in my brother's defense, you ARE pregnant." Clair pointed out. "He may be a worrywart when it comes to you, but he's right about someone needing to be with you whenever you're out of the house."

"He was even worse when I was pregnant with Rin. All he would do was worry about me, calling me every day at lunch to check up on me."

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Clair giggled as she pushed the stroller. Several minutes passed by as the two girls continued to chat before arriving at the place Alicia wanted to go.

"Here we are." Alicia said.

Clair looked up at the sign for the place they were at, suddenly realizing why Alicia was so insistent on coming here. It had been a while after all. Her expression darkened as she looked at Alicia. "You want me to come with you?"

Alicia shook her head. "No, I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry." She reached into the stroller and lifted Rin up. The baby girl giggled in her mother's arms. Alicia walked in while carrying Rin.

Tombstones lined up through the SAO Memorial Cemetery. It had been awhile since Alicia had last come to visit here. As she walked, Alicia came to a stop near the tombstone that belonged to Historia. She gave a quick blessing to her old friend from SAO before continuing on. Historia hadn't been the main reason for her coming here today. Alicia passed by several more rows of tombstones before coming to the two she had come here for. She tried to hold back tears as she looked at the names engraved on them.

Otoha Liguri (Olivia): February 9th, 2007 - November 23, 2022

Kouta Jenten (Jean): April 21st, 2007 - November 23, 2022

"Jean. Olivia." Alicia began. "Sorry. I suppose I should say Kouta and Otoha. I'm sorry it's been awhile since I last came to visit. Things have been… busy. Where should I start? Oh that's right! You remember how I told you guys last time I came here that Dan and I got married? Well now we have a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Rin." She looked down at her daughter in her arms and showed a small smile. It was all she could muster right now. "We also have another one on the way soon, and yes that's why my stomach is bulging so don't go making any jokes about me needing to go on a diet Kouta."

A soft chuckle escaped Alicia, but at the same time tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Alicia tried to wipe them away, but new ones replaced them every time. She stared at the two tombstones. "I miss you both so much. You have no idea how badly I wish you two were still alive. Out of the five of us that logged onto SAO, the only ones alive now are me, Emi, and Naruki. You don't have to worry about Naruki though. I gave him a good pounding the last time he cause trouble. Her smile turned into a frown as she thought about her old friend. "He's out of jail now. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and moved on with his life."

Alicia wanted to hear the voices of her friends so badly. But she knew they couldn't speak. The only sound accompanying her was the wind and her daughter's breathing.

"What's next… oh! You remember Hyde and Lilina, two of the friends I made in SAO? Well Lilina recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy. His name is Naoki. It's nice now, but it kinda makes me remember when she was a teenager and we thought she got pregnant. Boy was that ever an insane trip. There's also Asuna who gave birth to a daughter named Strea, as well as Shino's new baby boy Tetsuya."

At this point, Alicia didn't even try to stop the tears falling down from her eyes. The droplets splashed on the ground and also on Rin's shirt. "I'm sorry. I know you two wouldn't want to see me cry, but I just can't help it. I suppose I should leave now before I dry myself up."

Alicia began to walk back to the entrance. As she walked away, she turned around to face her friends one last time. "Bye you two. It was nice catching up with you."

From the entrance, Clair watched as Alicia came out with Rin. It was clear to the college girl that it had been hard for Alicia based on the tears still present in her eyes.

"You ok, Alicia?" Clair asked.

Alicia nodded her head and put Rin back into the stroller. "Yes, I'll be fine. It's just hard with them not being here."

Clair came up to Alicia and hugged her. "It's alright to cry. I cry too whenever I go to visit Yukki. But no matter what, I'm always there for you if you need a shoulder to cry on. We're family now after all."

"Thanks Clair." Alicia said, her lips managing to form into a smile. "That means a lot."

Clair and Alicia left the cemetery with nothing but a silent breeze accompanying them. Unbeknownst to the two girls however, there was someone silently watching them from across the street. The stranger's eyes glared as they looked at the two girls.

' _Soon. Very soon, I'll have my revenge.'_

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, especially the feels towards the end. Next chapter will be out in a week as usual.**


	5. Pieces Falling into Place

**A/N: What's up SAO fans? It's time for yet another chapter. On a side note, I'm not sure if any of you have heard, but a SAO and Accel World crossover game is coming out this year called Twilight Millennium, and it looks AMAZING! I have no idea how I didn't hear about this sooner, as it was announced a couple months ago. For any of you SAO gamers out there, I highly suggest checking it out.**

Satoru flipped through picture after picture of the family album as he sat at the kitchen table. He had been there for an hour or so, but it felt like forever. He saw just how much he had missed out because of his mistake. Dan and Clair had both changed so much as they grew up. He noticed that his son had also seemed a lot happier in all of the pictures after the events of SAO. He and Clair had a lot of friends with them.

"So many memories to look through, isn't it?"

Satoru snapped out of his daze and turned to see Juna standing at the entrance to the kitchen. His ex-wife walked up and looked at the page Satoru was at right now. A smile came to her face as she looked at it, Dan and Alicia's prom night. "That girl really became special to Dan. They've both gone to hell and back for each other."

"I only wish I could say the same." Satoru frowned. "I've always been such a coward. But this time, I feel that it lost me something I won't ever be able to get back."

"That's because you did." Juna said, still staring at the book. "You didn't just lose twenty years. You lost out on your children's entire lives growing up."

"I know. You must have been such a great mother for them to turn out as well as they did."

"Well, I don't like to brag but I did do a pretty good job if I do say so myself." Juna grinned. "Despite being all alone."

"Juna… how are you able to forgive me? I did something awful. Something that hurt both you and our kids very deeply." Satoru asked.

Juna stayed silent for a few moments before giving her answer. "Because I know you. You've always had that cowardly personality ever since I've known you. It's true I never expected you to run off like you did. For the first few years, I admit that I cursed you out quite a lot. But at some point, I knew the fear that was probably going on in your head. Me becoming pregnant with Clair was completely unexpected. But watching her grow up, I knew it was for the best. And looking at Dan and Clair, I knew there was part of you in both of them. So I couldn't bring myself to hate you anymore. Because then I'd be hating a part of Dan and Clair too."

Satoru showed a small smile. "You've always had that easygoing attitude. I remember that's one of the things that made me fall in love with you." He let out a small sigh. "I heard from Clair that Dan was part of the SAO Incident."

The mention of the SAO Incident brought up bitter memories for Juna. She had to watch her son lay on a hospital bed for two years, not knowing each day whether he would live or die. It was agony. She had already lost the love of her life when he had ran. She couldn't bear to lose her son too.

"Yes, he was." Juna nodded. "Those times were difficult for me and Clair."

"Juna… please. I need to talk with Dan again. To sit down and speak to him, father to son."

Juna looked away. "You already had this talk with Clair. I feel the same as her. It should be Dan's choice when you two talk again. It was your choice to leave after all."

"But I can't sit around and wait for that long!" Satoru told her. "I know he hates me! He has every right to! But for the first time in my life, there's something I need to do as a father that I don't want to run away from! Please… I need to talk with him again."

A long pause of silence passed by. It seemed like forever, but Juna finally gave in. "Alright. I'll tell you where he and Alicia live. But if he punches you in the face again, that's on you."

Satoru nodded at his ex-wife. "Thank you Juna."

Juna wrote down an address on a slip of paper and handed it to her ex-husband. Satoru left the house and walked towards his car. As he opened the door however, a woman ran up to him.

"Excuse me! Sir!"

Satoru looked at the woman. She seemed to be in her early to mid thirties, and had short blonde hair, along with emerald green eyes. "Yes? Can I help you miss?"

"Yes, I think you can." she nodded. "Does Dan Hiryo live here?"

Satoru shook his head. "No, he's my son. I'm actually going to visit him right now."

"Really? In that case, could you please do me a favor?" she asked. The lady handed him a flower pot. "I'd like you to deliver this to him for me if you could, please."

Satoru looked at the flower pot curiously. "May I ask what this is about?"

"Well you see, he did something back in SAO. I always meant to thank him for it, but I never got the chance. I heard this was where he lived so I wanted to come and give these flowers to him as thanks."

"I see..." Satoru said. "Well I'd be happy to deliver them for you."

"Would you? Oh thank you so much, sir."

"Can I have your name so I can tell him who they're from?"

"Oh I doubt he remembers me. We only met for a brief moment." the lady said. "Just tell him they're from a fan of his."

Satoru nodded his head. "I'll be sure to do that."

The lady watched as Satoru drove off in his car. As he drove away, her face slowly grew into a smirk. ' _Looks like he bought it. That was almost too easy.'_

* * *

Today was supposed to be a relaxing one for Alicia. She was going to get a chance to rest while Emi helped her with a few things around the house and gave her some company. Unfortunately, those plans changed when Emi began to spend some quality time with her niece.

"There, there. It's alright Rin. Your Aunt Emi's here." Emi said soothingly as she held the baby girl in her arms.

Alicia pouted at her sister. "Come on Emi. I'm her mother. Let me take care of my own daughter."

"Right now, you need to rest." Emi told her sister. "I'm here to help you out, so try to relax. You'll be due any day now and then you'll have two crying little monsters to deal with."

"Emi I told you I'm perfectly fine."

"Too bad." Emi said, clearly not budging. "Besides, look at Rin. She's so adorable!" Emi ogled at her little niece. "Who's a cutie pie? That's right, you are."

The sound of the doorbell ringing stopped Emi's fun time, causing the girl to sigh. "I'll get it." she said as she handed Rin over to Alicia. "But don't think I'm done with my cute little niece yet."

Alicia rolled her eyes as Emi went to answer the door. When Emi opened the door, she was greeted by a man she had never seen before. He was holding a pot of flowers in his arms. Emi eyed the man curiously. "Hello, can I help you?"

The man nodded his head. "Yes, I'm Satoru Hiryo. Dan's father."

Emi widened her eyes at the identity of the man. Alicia had told her that Dan's dad had made a reappearance the other day. This was him? "May I ask what it is you want."

"Who is it, Emi?" Alicia asked, walking over to the door with Rin in her arms. When she came to the door, she looked at Satoru curiously. "Hello. Who are you?"

"Apparently he's Dan's dad." Emi explained with her eyes narrowed. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here."

Satoru bowed his head. "I know I don't have any right to ask this, but can I speak with Dan. I want to talk with him."

Alicia didn't know what to make of Satoru's request. He seemed sincere enough, based on what she could tell. But at the same time, she knew Dan wasn't willing to speak with his father at the moment. But she knew that he would have to do it eventually despite how stubborn he tended to be. Finally, Alicia made a decision and nodded her head. "Alright. Come in."

Emi gasped and looked at her sister in shock. "Alicia?!"

"Dan's at work right now. He'll be home in a couple of hours." Alicia said, handing Rin over to Emi. "We can talk until he returns home."

"Thank you." Satoru said gratefully. "I really appreciate this."

Alicia and Satoru sat across from each other in the living room. The flower pot that Satoru had brought with him was put on the nearby table. Emi came downstairs after putting Rin down for a nap in her crib. Needless to say, there was an awkward silence in the room. Alicia hadn't been expecting to see her husband's father show up at their doorstep. Likewise, Satoru had been expecting to talk with Dan. He had considered the possibility of Alicia being with him during the talk, but not with his son being absent.

After some time, the first one to speak was Satoru. "It's nice to finally meet the woman that Dan married. I've heard a bit about you from my ex-wife and daughter."

"I've heard quite a bit about you too." Alicia said. "Mostly from my husband."

Satoru nodded his head. "I assume you've heard a lot of negative things then. Unfortunately, I can't say that they aren't true."

"It hurt him a lot when you left." Alicia said. "He's never been very honest with his emotions. If I had to guess, I'd say he's distancing himself from you so he doesn't have to go through that again."

"I can't say I blame him." Satoru admitted.

"If you don't mind me asking" Alicia began. "Why did you leave in the first place?"

Satoru sighed. "Why. That's the question everyone's been asking me. To be honest, I wish I could say that I had a good excuse. That I was doing it for my family. But the truth is I ran because I was afraid. I'm a coward that couldn't stand up and take responsibility as a father because of the hard times we were going through. We were barely scraping by after Clair was born."

"So you just abandoned them?!" Emi asked with a glare. "What kind of father are you?! Didn't you realize that only was going to make things harder for your family?!"

"Emi!" Alicia yelled at her sister.

"No, she's right." Satou nodded. "I didn't think of my family. I was only thinking about myself. My actions only made things harder for them."

"And what made you decide to come back now?" Alicia asked.

Satoru stayed silent for a few moments, trying to come up with an answer. "I suppose I was just tired of running away. I wanted to see the kind of people my children grew up to be." He looked at Alicia with a small smile. "I can see what a fine man Dan's become if he was able to settle down with a wonderful woman like you."

Alicia blushed slightly. "Thank you."

"What was my son like when you met him anyway?" Satoru asked. "I'd like to know more about his life since I wasn't there to see it myself."

"What he was like, huh?" Alicia said. She looked to the distance and smiled back on old memories. "Well he was a fearless leader back when I met him in SAO. But he also had a soft clumsy side to him that he didn't like to show around others. I suppose that's what first made me fall in love with him. He was also incredibly cunning, one of the top tacticians in the game." Alicia continued on, talking about her husband. Satoru smiled to himself at hearing the kind of person his son was. Far more of a man than he ever was.

"And I suppose that's it. Fast forward up until now, and he and I are married with a one year old daughter and another one coming soon." Alicia finished as she rubbed her bumpy belly.

"One of the people who helped clear the game, huh?" Satoru said. "It's hard to believe such a great person is my own son."

"You should tell him that yourself, along with the things you told me." Alicia said. "If you want him to forgive you, you at least need to give him your reason for leaving, no matter how good or bad it was."

"I suppose you're right." Satoru nodded.

Alicia smiled as she looked back at the flowers. "Oh, I almost forgot to thank you for the flowers. They're quite lovely."

"Oh, those aren't from me." Satoru explained with a shake of his head. "Someone else gave them to me to deliver them to you."

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "Really? Who was it?"

Just as Satoru was about to answer, a stream of gas emitted from the flower pot. By the time Alicia, Emi, or Satoru realized it, their minds were already dizzy.

"What's going… on…?" Emi asked as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"The flower pot… who…?" Alicia soon lost consciousness as well as she slumped on the couch she was sitting on. Satoru was in the same state, completely knocked out.

The gas soon subsided and a figure walked into the house after picking the lock. She had her mouth and nose covered, just to be safe until the gas was finally gone from the air for good.

' _Looks like my plan is coming along smoothly. All that's left is Ren.'_ The woman looked over at Satoru, grinning to herself. ' _And here I thought I was going to have to deliver those flowers personally and risk exposing myself. That idiot made this even easier for me.'_

 **A/N: A lot of you seemed to think the villain this time was Naruki/Noboru again, though with what happened last chapter I can't really blame you. I hope this was a nice surprise for you all. Who is the mystery woman? What does she want with Ren? All these questions will be answered next chapter. Also, don't forget to check out SAO vs Accel World: Twilight Millennium if you haven't already.**


	6. A Misplaced Revenge

**A/N: Guess what readers? I've got something special planned for you all this week. Seeing as there are only two chapters left in this prequel arc, I've decided to post both of them this week. This is the first one, and the next one will be posted in a few days, probably around Wednesday.**

Dan stretched his arms out as he walked out of RECT's building. The team of engineers he was on for the company's latest project had been able to make a lot of progress throughout the day. The way things were going, it would be completed within the month.

With the work day over, Dan decided to give Alicia a call to check up on her and ask if she needed him to get anything on the way home. To his surprise however, as he was about to call her he found her calling him instead.

"What a coincidence. I bet she timed it like this just to catch me off guard." Dan said with a grin. He answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. "Hey hun? How was your time with Emi today?"

"Is this Ren?"

Dan froze suddenly, noticing the voice wasn't Alicia's. But what was worse was the cold edge the voice had to it. "Who is this?"

"I asked you first, now unless you want the woman with me to get hurt you'll answer. Are you Ren?"

The threat the person on the other end made told Dan they meant business. "Yes."

"Good. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Where is Alicia? Who are you?"

"Oh you don't have to worry about your wife. She's… sleeping right now."

Dan's fist clenched tightly. "If you hurt her, so help me I'll-"

"You have nothing to worry about. You're wife is perfectly fine. But whether she stays that way depends entirely on you."

"What do you want?" Dan asked.

"All you need to do is come home right away. Your wife and I are eagerly awaiting you. Oh, and don't even think about calling any help. Let's keep this just between us, shall we? See you soon, Ren."

The person on the other end hung up, ending the call. Dan didn't even think twice before he got into his car and sped out of the parking lot. He didn't recognize whoever the voice belonged to, but it was clear they knew him.

' _Hang on Alicia. I'm coming.'_

* * *

"Urgh…" Alicia moaned as she slowly regained consciousness. She attempted to move, but soon realized she was tied to a chair, along with Emi. The two sisters were tied up back to back with Dan's father tied up in another chair near them. The three of them were in the dining room.

"Are you alright?" Satoru asked.

Alicia nodded her head. "Yeah, I think. What's going on?"

"I don't know. I just woke up myself and found myself like this." Satoru answered.

"What happened…?" Emi said groggily as she came to as well.

"Emi? You alright?" Alicia asked.

"I think so." Emi nodded, her foggy vision finally starting to clear up. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." Alicia told her. "What happened though? How did we get tied up like this?"

"That would be because of me."

Alicia, Satoru, and Emi all looked as a new arrival entered the room. She had short blonde hair, emerald eyes, and a sinister grin on her face.

"You… You're the woman that gave me the flowers." Satoru realized.

"That's right, and it was so nice of you to deliver them like I asked. The tracker hidden under the pot made it easy to find this place." she said. "Now then, be good and stay quiet. Your job is done now."

"What is the meaning of this?" Alicia asked. She tried to struggle free, but the ropes binding her and Emi were too tight.

The woman stared at Alicia with a grin. "Well let's start with introductions, shall we? My name is Mitsuki."

"Ok, now how about an explanation as to why we're tied up?" Emi asked with a glare.

Mitsuki grabbed a seat and sat down in front of the trio. "That's a bit of a complicated story. Where should I start?" She thought to herself for a moment. "Well how about we begin with someone I'm sure you know quite well, or at least Ren should."

"What are you talking about? What do you want with Dan?" Alicia questioned.

"Tell me, do you know of a boy named Shinji Kanawe?"

Alicia and Emi both shook their heads.

"Oh that's right, I should be more specific. You might know him by the name of Shino."

Emi shook her head while glaring at the woman. The only Shino she knew of was Sinon, and she wasn't male. "Sorry, not ringing any bells."

"Wait a minute…" Alicia realized. "Shino?! The tactician from the front lines of SAO?!"

"Tactician was he? I always knew my little brother had a thing for planning."

"Little brother?! You mean you're Shino's sister?!" Alicia gasped.

Mitsuki nodded her head. "That's right. Though I would prefer it if you called him Shinji. I'm not exactly fond of remembering his time in that damn death game."

Alicia remembered him, and she could see the resemblance between the traitor of the front lines and this woman now that she realized it. There was no doubt about it. This girl was the sister of the biggest traitor the front lines had ever known.

"Since you know him, I take it you know what Ren did to him." Mitsuki said, her face slowly turning into a scowl. "He murdered him in cold blood! Shinji is dead because of him!"

"Cold blood?! Do you have any idea what your brother did?! He was in league with Laughing Coffin! He was a murderer!"

"Shut your mouth!" Mitsuki yelled. "Don't you dare lie about my brother like that!"

"It's not a lie!" Emi yelled. "We were there! Hell, your brother was trying to kill Dan when he died!"

"I said shut up!" Mitsuki snapped. "I saw that stupid news report. Shinji Kanawe, Survivor of SAO was killed along with several others. All are believed to be part of a murder guild from the death game." Mitsuki glared at them. "I know my brother better than that. Everyone else may have been fooled, but not me. Shinji's no murderer! Ren framed him!"

"He did no such thing!" Alicia shouted. "Mitsuki, whether you like it or not, your brother killed-"

Before Alicia could finish, Mitsuki came up and put a knife to her throat. "Call my brother a murderer one more time. I dare you."

Emi glared at Mitsuki. "Get away from my sister, or else."

Alicia could see it in Mitsuki's eyes. She truly believed that her brother wasn't the cold blooded killer he actually was. This woman was in complete denial. Alicia had heard about it happening in the past. Parents would hear about their kids killing someone in SAO and completely denying it since there was no proof. Alicia knew as well as anyone the effects that game had on the minds of the people trapped in it. Players became PKers, knowing that their crimes could never be proven outside of the game. All of the blame would be placed on Akihiko Kayaba. The worst part was that it was exactly what happened. There was no way to prove who killed who and for what reasons during the two years in SAO. As a result, none of the red players were ever imprisoned once they were released from SAO. And no parent would ever want to believe their child was a murderer.

That was exactly what was happening with Mitsuki, although in this case it was a sibling relationship rather than one of a parent and child.

"After the events of SAO, all Shinji would talk about was some Ren person and how he would make him pay." Mitsuki said as she brought the knife away. "And then one day I come home and hear on the news that my little brother was dead. And guess who was mentioned in that same report? The very same person that had made my brother suffer so much."

Alicia knew all about it. To protect their privacy, the government hadn't given out any names to the media during the Gabriel Incident. But there were still some who managed to get a few leaks of their names in ALO. None of their real world identities had been told, so they hadn't paid any mind to it.

"It took some time, but I finally managed to find out the real name of this Ren my brother was always on about. And now I've managed to track him down. So I'll be able to get my revenge."

Alicia glared at Mitsuki. "Mitsuki, you're lying to yourself and you know it. Stop this and we can-"

Alicia was cut off by the sound of crying coming from upstairs. Emi and Satoru widened their eyes in surprise, while Alicia's eyes were filled with horror. The crying meant one thing.

Rin had woken up from her nap.

"Well, well, so the two of you already have a baby?" Mitsuki asked. "And here I thought the one in your belly was your first." She showed a smirk on her face, and Alicia didn't like the look of it one bit. Mitsuki turned around to walk towards the stairs. "That little baby sounds cranky. I think I'll go check up on it."

"Hold it!" Alicia shouted. The volume of her voice was enough to get Mitsuki's attention. Alicia glared at the woman, never more serious in her entire life. "Mitsuki, I don't care who you are or what you do to me. But if you lay one finger on Rin, I promise you will live just barely long enough to regret it."

"Is that so?" Mitsuki asked. "And how exactly do you plan to do anything when you're tied up like that?"

Alicia was forced to watch as Mitsuki walked upstairs towards Rin's room. The mother was on the verge of tears, scared for her daughter's life. Mitsuki soon walked down, carrying Rin in one arm. Alicia had never been more horrified in her life. She could only watch as her daughter laid in the hands of the person trying to get revenge on her husband.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Alicia warned.

Mitsuki rolled her eyes as she walked over and placed Rin in a crib near the dining room table. The baby girl cried as she flopped around. "I have no need of harming the life of an infant. I'm just after Ren. But I suggest you don't make me angry and change my mind."

Alicia could only glare at Mitsuki, not wanting to say anything that would tip her over the edge. Mitsuki walked out of the room, leaving her three hostages alone. Alicia managed to let out a soft hum for her daughter. Hearing her mother's soft voice caused Rin to calm down a little, and the the crying soon quieted down.

"I'm sorry." Satoru said. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid."

"It's not your fault." Alicia said with a shake of her head. "You couldn't have known. And Mitsuki would have found a way to try and get her revenge regardless of whether you helped or not."

"To be fair though, he did help her." Emi pointed out.

"Not helping, Emi!" Alicia told her sister.

Satoru lowered his head. "I'm such a horrible father. I come home and the only thing I'm able to do is cause trouble for my son and put his family in danger." He let out a sigh. "Perhaps it would have been better if I had never come back."

"That's not true and you know it." Alicia told him with a shake of her head. "It's true that you ran out on your family. It's true that you were gone for a long time. But it's also true that you had the courage to come back and admit your mistakes. That at the very least counts for something."

"But what good has it done? I've put you, your sister, and your daughter all in danger."

"Enough with the pity party." Emi told him. "You want to fix things right? If you have the will to do something, then find a way to do it. That's what your son would do."

Satoru looked at Emi, not understanding her. "What do you mean?"

"You almost finished Emi?" Alicia asked in a low whisper, knowing what her sister was doing.

"I'm trying." Emi told her sister in the same quiet voice. "But this rope is tougher than it looks. And it looks like she used two ropes to tie us so I need to cut through both of them."

Satoru looked at Alicia and Emi and noticed what the younger girl was trying to do. She had a nail file out and was busy working on cutting the ropes holding her and her sister. Despite the situation they were in, neither of them seemed to be strucken by helplessness like he was. They were fighting their very best, no matter what.

' _You really met some incredible people, Dan.'_ Satoru thought to himself.

* * *

Dan pulled into the driveway of his house. Inside was whoever had called him on the phone, as well as his family. He just prayed to god that they were all alright.

He wasted no time rushing up to the door and opening it. "Alicia?! Emi?!"

"Dan!"

The sound of Alicia's voice registered in Dan's ears and directed him towards the dining room. He ran towards it, but when he came up to it, he found a sight that horrified him. Alicia and Emi were tied up with Rin nearby. Both of them were unharmed, but the other woman standing around holding a knife told him that they might not stay that way for long.

Mitsuki stared at Ren with a vicious smirk on her face. "Took you long enough to show up."

 **A/N: Well we're getting towards the finale of this arc. Hope you all enjoyed it so far. You won't have to wait too long though. Next chapter will be out soon enough. And then, we'll be able to get on and see all of the little Wyverns in their own adventures.**

 **Once the story heads to the focus on the kids, there really won't be many 'arcs' with villains in each one. Most of the chapters and the few arcs I throw in are going to focus mostly on drama and stuff involving everyday life, or just some good laughs. I'm sure you'll all enjoy them all though.**


	7. Forgivness

**A/N: Well it's finally here everyone. The finale to the prequel arc. Enjoy.**

"So I finally get to meet the legendary Ren in person." Mitsuki said as she stared him down. The look in her eyes had a mix of anger and excitement. "Your family and I were having a nice chat while waiting for you."

Dan looked at the people behind the woman standing in front of him. Alicia was tied up, as well as Emi. He also noticed his father tied up, of course he'd be here at a time like this. "Alicia, are you alright?"

"I'm fine! Rin too!" Alicia told him. "Be careful! She's Shino's sister!"

The mention of Shino surprised Dan as he stared at the woman in front of him. Now he knew why she seemed familiar.

"Well so much for that. And here I was going to surprise you with that little tidbit right before I killed you." Mitsuki said. She glared hatefully towards Dan. "And his name isn't Shino. It's Shinji. We're not in that little make believe world you were all in anymore, you murderer."

"If you want to call anyone a murderer, it should be your brother." Dan glared. "Do you have any idea the things he did? The people he killed?"

"Shut up!" Mitsuki yelled. "Shinji's not a murderer! That world... That damn game changed him... When he came back, he went on and on about Ren this and Ren that, saying how he was going to make you pay. He stopped being the little brother I knew. And then came the day he died. The day you murdered him and stole him from me!"

"I was defending myself and protecting my friends! He tried to kill us!"

"LIAR!" Mitsuki shouted. "You can fool everyone else but you can't fool me! You murdered him in cold blood! You tracked him down and killed him, framing him as a murderer!"

Dan looked Mitsuki in the eyes. "You're wrong on two counts actually. First of all, I wasn't the one who killed him. But the person who did kill him saved my life and I'm grateful to them for that. And secondly, your brother was a murderer. I don't know what kind of person he was before SAO, but I do know what he did during and after it."

"Shut up! He's not a murderer!" The denial in her eyes was clear to see. "My brother... he would never kill anybody... He wouldn't..."

"You need to stop lying to yourself." Dan said, taking a step forward. "This doesn't have to end like it did with your brother. No one has to die or get hurt."

Mitsuki snarled at Dan. "How dare you... How dare you talk like that after you took away my little brother!" She slashed her knife at him, causing Dan to jump back to dodge. "Let's see how you like it when you lose someone you care about."

Dan'e eyes widened in fear as he saw Mitsuki raise her knife at Alicia. He dashed forward, desperate to stop Mitsuki. "Wait!"

Alicia gasped as the knife came down at her. Dan lunged at Mitsuki, knocking her away from his wife just in time and tackling her into the wall nearby. The two of them struggled with each other, with Dan desperate to keep her down.

"Tell me you're almost done, Emi." Alicia begged.

"I've got through one of the ropes." Emi said. "Ugh, this is taking too long! Screw it, let me try slipping my way out. Maybe it's loose enough now with one of the ropes cut off." Slowly, Emi tried wiggling her body through the rope binding. "Time for those gymnastics to pay off."

As Emi tried to free herself, Mitsuki and Dan continued to struggle. Mitsuki pushed Dan back with her legs. She lunged at him, but Dan managed to throw her over him, causing her body to roll over. As she got up to her feat, Dan tried to grab the knife from her hand. The two of them continued to fight, moving into the kitchen.

"There!" Emi grinned, finally freeing herself from the rope. She quickly helped free her sister and then Satoru. Emi went into the kitchen, seeing Dan and Mitsuki fight.

"Don't worry about me!" Dan told her as he ducked under a slash from Mitsuki. "Get Alicia and Rin out of here!"

Emi hesitated, but reluctantly nodded her head. She knew Dan could handle himself in a fight, and getting Alicia and Rin to safety was more important right now. She went into the dining room and helped Alicia get to the front door while carrying Rin in her arms. Satoru ran with them.

As they got out of the house, Emi brought out her phone. "Hang on. I'll call the cops." She looked back and saw Satoru running back into the house. "Where are you going?!"

"To help my son." Satoru yelled back, going into the house.

When Satoru entered the house, he heard a large crashing sound. He ran into the kitchen and saw the door to the basement open. The sounds coming from downstairs told him that was where the fight was going on right now. He rushed down into the basement and saw Mitsuki gaining the upper hand in the fight. She shoved him into the wall and then lunged at him, ready to finish him with a stab from her weapon.

"Dan! Look out!" Satoru warned.

Dan turned around at the last second and saw the knife come for him. He moved out of the way, which caused Mitsuki's knife to stab into the wall and lodge itself in. Mitsuki tried to pry it from the wall, but Dan tackled her away. She fell to the ground, and Dan quickly restrained her.

Mitsuki continued to try and get free from Dan's hold, but there was nothing she could do. Her arms were restrained and she couldn't throw him off her. Eventually, she just gave up. "Fine. Go ahead and kill me already."

"No."

Mitsuki narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean no? Aren't you going to kill me?"

"If I did, what would it accomplish?" Dan asked her. "All killing you would do is make me out to be the murderer you believe me to be. Let me be clear here." Dan leaned in and stared her in the eyes. "I'm NOT a murderer. In fact, I've seen more people die than I care to remember."

Mitsuki stared at Dan in silence. What was he doing? There was no benefit in keeping her alive. If he killed her right now, he could easily make it look like self defense. But why? Why wouldn't he kill her?

Dan looked at his father. "Keep her restrained for me." Satoru nodded and kept Mitsuki pinned to the ground while Dan moved to the side and tried to catch his breath.

"Are you alright?" Satoru asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Dan nodded. "Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've been in a fight for my life."

"Dan! Come quick!"

The shout came from Emi. Dan looked at his father, who nodded at him. "Go. I can hold her for now."

Dan nodded his head and ran upstairs. He went out of the house and saw Emi supporting Alicia, who was holding her hand to her stomach. "What's wrong?!"

"Dan… the baby's coming." Alicia moaned.

Dan's eyes widened. "It's coming?! Now?!"

Alicia nodded her head and Dan began to panic slightly. Emi quickly took action. "Alright, just calm down. Can you drive Alicia to the hospital?" Dan nodded his head. "Alright. You take Rin and bring Alicia to the hospital. I'll keep an eye on Mitsuki with your dad until the cops get here."

Dan nodded in agreement. "I don't think Mitsuki should give you any trouble, but be careful anyway."

Emi gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I can take her in a fight if it comes to it since she doesn't have the element of surprise."

Dan quickly got Alicia into his car and strapped Rin in. Luckily, he kept her car seat in his car all the time. Once both his wife and daughter were strapped in, he sped out of the driveway and to the hospital.

* * *

After getting Alicia to the hospital, she was quickly rushed into the delivery room. She had gotten there with little time to spare. The sounds of Alicia crying out in pain came from the delivery room as Dan sat outside. He wished he could be there with her, but there was no one there yet to take care of Rin. So he sat directly outside the delivery room holding his daughter in his arms.

The sound of her mother wailing in pain caused Rin to start crying as well. Dan did all he could to calm the baby girl down, but to no avail. Alicia was always the one that was able to calm her down so easily.

Soon enough however, the sound of Alicia's cries of pain died down and was replaced with the crying of a baby. Dan sighed in relief, knowing that this meant their new baby was here at last. It had by no means been easy, especially throughout the past few days, but the beautiful sound of a brand new life coming into the world had made all of the fighting and hardship up until now worth it. Rin seemed to agree, as the crying from her finally stopped.

A doctor came out of the delivery room and saw Dan sitting with Rin. "Congratulations sir. Your wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl."

Another sigh of relief came from Dan. A part of him had been scared of something going wrong due to the whole episode with Mitsuki. But luckily their baby was perfectly healthy. "Thank god."

"Would you like to see her?"

Dan nodded his head. "Yes, thank you." He walked into the delivery room and saw a sight that was pleasant to behold. Alicia laid on the bed, with their newborn daughter in her arms wrapped in a blanket.

"Looks like you have yourself a new sister, Rin." Dan said as he stood next to Alicia with a smile.

"I'm so relieved she's here." Alicia cried. "That we're all here."

Dan nodded his head. "Emi called earlier. The police have Mitsuki in custody. She and… my dad… are on their way here right now."

Alicia looked at her husband. "About Mitsuki… We need to talk."

* * *

When the police arrived, Mitsuki had assumed she was going to jail. Looking back on the things she had done, she knew that she probably deserved it. Spending a long time not even being able to move forced her to think back on everything that had happened so far. She had been so sure that she had been right about Ren and Shinji. But as time went on during her plan, she didn't want to admit it but she began to second guess herself. Ren hadn't done anything to act like the murderer she believed him to be. He had even spared her life when he had every right to take it after what she had done.

She had attacked and hurt a family that was completely innocent. If that didn't deserve her getting thrown in jail, she didn't know what did.

But to her surprise, the police had made a sudden detour after getting a call. Mitsuki wondered what it was about, and she became even more curious when she saw that their destination was the hospital. The officers brought her out of the car and led her down to a hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw Dan sitting down. He seemed to be waiting for them.

"Could you give us a few minutes?" Dan asked the officers.

"Are you sure sir? She did attack you once already."

"Don't worry. I doubt she'll try anything." Dan assured them.

The two officers looked at each other, before deciding to trust him. "Alright, we'll be right down the hall. If anything happens, just call for us."

Mitsuki sat next to Dan as the two officers left them alone. Sitting alone with the man she had attacked had her nervous. There were so many things she felt she needed to say, but she didn't really know how to put them into words.

"Alicia just gave birth." Dan told her. "It's a girl."

"... Congrats." Mitsuki said, though it was more like a mumble.

"She told me the whole story." Dan explained. "I get Shinji was your brother, and that you don't want to believe he was a murderer. I understand that feeling. But whether you like it or not, there are some truths in this world that we have to accept, no matter how hard they may be."

"I know…" Mitsuki said. "Ren… I'm sorry. For everything up until now. For the pain I caused you and your family." Tears rolled down her eyes. "I was so blinded by my stupid quest for revenge, that I didn't see the truth that was right in front of me. Maybe I did see it and just didn't want to admit it."

"I know you're sorry. Alicia does too." Dan said. "And the two of us talked it over. And… we decided not to press charges."

Mitsuki widened her eyes as she jerked her head to Dan. "What? B-But I… I attacked your family. I tried to kill you."

"Believe it or not, you wouldn't be the first." Dan told her.

"Why though?! Why are you just letting me get off for free?"

It took Dan a few moments before giving his answer. "Your brother became obsessed with his hatred towards me after SAO. Look where that got him." Dan shook his head. "I don't want to give into revenge and hatred like your brother did. And luckily, no one got hurt. If it wasn't for that, Alicia and I probably would have pressed charges and you'd be on your way to prison right now."

"But-"

"You're sorry for what you did, aren't you? You're not planning on doing it again?"

Mitsuki nodded her head. "Of course."

"Then that's enough for me." Dan told her. "Lately, I've had a hard time forgiving someone that hurt me and my family. I hated him for what he did, and I said some things I'm not proud of. He said he was sorry, and I knew deep down he meant it. But I ignored it, because it was easier for me to simply hate him. I had been doing it all my life after all. But… if I don't forgive him, I'll be just like your brother. I don't want to become that kind of person, or that kind of father. I have other things that are far more important to me than a stupid grudge."

Mitsuki didn't know what to say. She was stunned into silence that after all she had done, these people were willing to forgive her. She wiped the tears starting to form in her eyes. "Thank you."

Dan got up from his seat. "Well, I'll see you around. There's someone else I need to have a word with." He walked down the hall and away from Mitsuki, leaving her alone to think to herself.

Back over by the delivery room, Dan walked up and saw Satoru sitting outside of the doors. Dan let out a deep sigh, knowing what he had to do. He walked up and took a seat next to his father. "Hey dad."

"Hey…" Satoru replied. "Dan… this was all my fault. I'm sorry. If you want me to leave, I can-"

"Do you promise to stay this time?" Dan asked.

Satoru turned to his son. "What?"

"Do you promise you'll stick around? That you won't run off without saying anything again?" Dan repeated. A few moments passed with Satoru not saying anything. "Well?"

Finally Satoru nodded his head. "Yes, I promise. I won't ever put you, or your sister and mother through that again."

Dan took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright then. I forgive you."

"For endangering your wife and child?"

"For everything." Dan told him. "For running away as a father. For putting us through all of that suffering. I forgive you."

Satoru sat there, completely silent, not knowing what to say. Finally, tears began to form in his eyes. He tried his best to wipe them away. "I can't tell you how much I've dreamed I'd hear you say that. Thank you son. Truly, I mean it."

"If you want to show that you mean that, then don't go running off again. Cause if you do, the next time we meet, I'll give you a lot more than a punch to the face." Dan said. "Speaking of which… I'm sorry about that."

Satoru let out a small chuckle. "You've sure got one hell of a right hook, you know that?"

Dan chuckled as well. "If you think I hit hard, you don't even want to know what a punch from Alicia will do to you."

Satoru looked at his son with a smile. "Dan… I'm proud of you. At the man you've become."

"Thanks dad." Dan said as he got up. "Well then, since that's out of the way, do you want to see your new granddaughter?"

Satoru nodded his head. "Yes. I would like that very much."

Dan led his father into the delivery room, something he had never thought he would do a few days ago. Emi was at the side of the room, holding Rin in her arms. Alicia was still holding the newborn baby as she laid on the bed.

As Satoru looked at his newborn granddaughter, tears came to his eyes. He had made one mistake in his life that had nearly cost him everything. But the sight he was looking at now had told him he had made the right choice to come back. "She's so beautiful." he said as he tried to wipe his eyes.

"She's like a delicate little flower." Alicia said. "That's how we came up with her name. Lilly."

Dan sat on the edge of the bed, next to his wife as he looked at their new daughter. Their second child. And he vowed to himself he'd be just as good of a father to Lilly as he had promised to be for Rin.

* * *

 _-Two weeks later-_

Alicia wished she could sleep in for just a little longer, but the sound of crying coming from the other room told her she wouldn't have that luxury. She nudged her husband lazily. "Sounds like it's time to get up."

"Which one are you taking this time?" Dan asked with a yawn.

"I'll let you decide."

The couple managed to drag themselves out of bed and went into Rin and Lilly's room. They each picked up one of the girls and gently rocked them in their arms as they walked downstairs. Alicia heated up a bottle for Rin and one for Lilly as well.

The family of four sat down at the kitchen table as Dan and Alicia fed their two daughters. Rin had been a handful the first few weeks she was born, so they had braced themselves for the worst. But it still didn't help that the two of them had missed out on a lot of sleep.

Regardless though, neither one of them would have their life any other way. Exhaustion and all, they loved the family they had created.

The slight damage done to the house during the incident with Mitsuki was fixed. As for Dan's father, he had managed to find an apartment nearby to live in. He didn't want to ever be apart from his family ever again. Clair had also managed to bring herself to forgive her father. If even her stubborn bullheaded brother was able to, then so could she. Everything was finally back to normal.

"Alicia."

"Yes Dan?"

"I love you. I always will."

"I love you too."

They were a family. Now until the end of time. And no power in the world would ever change that.

 **A/N: And thus, another little Wyvern is born. Hope you all liked the arc everyone. As I said, the rest of this story is going to focus mainly on the kids of my OCs. Don't worry, Ren and the others will still be in it. They just won't be playing as big of a part. Next chapter will be out at it's usual time. Look forward to seeing what each of the kids end up being like.**


	8. A New Generation

**A/N: It's finally that time readers. You've been waiting a long time for it. If you've been wanting to know what each of the kids for this story are like, well you're about to find out. Just one fair warning. If you you thought this group would deviate from the last gen and actually be sane for a change, you were wrong. These are the kids of Wyvern's Inferno after all.**

The familiar sound of the school bell ringing snapped Rin out of the daydream she was having. She got out of her seat and headed out of the school building, glad that she didn't have to sit in class any longer. As she rushed outside, she was greeted by the bright clear sky.

"Hello freedom!" Rin exclaimed as she stretched her arms out. "Summer vacation is here at last!"

It had been a long second year of high school for Rin. She hated being cramped up in school all day long, especially since some classes weren't her forte. She wasn't dumb by any means though, her grades were enough proof of that. They just weren't anything extraordinary.

"Geez Rin, I think the whole school could hear you with that last yell." another voice said from behind her.

Turning around, Rin saw her sister Lilly. She was in her first year of high school, being a year younger than Rin. Her light brunette hair was tied up in a neat short ponytail in the back while in the front of her head a strand went down to the bottom of her face on both ends. Her azure blue eyes sparkled in the summer light.

Rin on the other hand kept her hair nice and long. It flowed down to her waist and was a slightly darker shade than Lilly's. Her eyes were a scarlet red color, much like her mother's.

Lilly was the brainier one out of the two Hiryo sisters, both of them knew that. Rin however was easily the more eccentric one between them. Sometimes though, it was hard to tell if that was a good or bad thing.

"So everyone's still good to meet up this afternoon, right?" Rin asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. Everyone's really excited for this quest, especially Yui."

"Can you blame her? The whole reason we're doing this quest is for her after all."

The two sisters walked back home together while chatting. Rin was excited about summer vacation. No school, all the free time in the world, and plenty of chances to go to the beach. Lilly was happy that summer was here too, she just didn't show it as plainly as her sister.

Once Rin and Lilly arrived home, they were greeted by their mother. She gave a bright smile to her two daughters from the kitchen. "Hello you two. How was school?"

"Boring as usual." Rin said. "But now that vacation's here, we can sit back and relax." She ran upstairs towards her room. "Lilly and I are going on ALO for a bit!"

Alicia smiled, but shook her head at her daughter. "Honestly, I don't know where she gets that boundless energy."

"Mmhmm…" Lilly said, hiding her rolling eyes.

"And just what is that supposed to mean young lady?" Alicia questioned.

"N-Nothing! See you later mom, bye!" Lilly said as she quickly sprinted upstairs.

"Make sure you're both logged out by dinner time!" Alicia told them. She smiled to herself. She didn't know if it was just their generation or something her daughters inherited from her and her husband, but those two loved the virtual world.

Lilly walked into her room, placing her school bag down on her desk. She called out towards her sister's room. "We're meeting the others at the usual spot, right?"

"Yep!" Rin called back.

Both sisters laid down on their beds, putting their AmuSphere rigs over their heads. They both closed their eyes and entered the virtual world.

"Link Start!"

* * *

Rin and Lilly walked out of the inn they had stayed at in Yggdrasil City. The bright skies of Alfheim shined as the warm summer temperature bathed on them. Alfheim had changed a lot over the years since its first launch, but the city of Arun and Yggdrasil City had remained more or less the same.

Hovering near the capital city of ALO, the floating fortress of New Aincrad flew in the sky. It had contained the hundred floors of the original Aincrad from SAO. Floor 100 of New Aincrad had been cleared years ago, long before Rin and Lilly started playing ALO. But the castle still served as a great place for farming and grinding.

The events of Sword Art Online were etched in history. It was the biggest, and ironically one of the most horrific events in the history of virtual reality. Rin and Lilly knew about the events, as well as the fact that their parents were involved in the incident. All of their friends knew about their parents being a part of the death game as well. In fact, the main reason they all knew each other was because of the bond all of their parents had made during the death game.

Rin was a Salamander with reddish-brown hair. Her hair was long, much like how it was in the real world. Her scarlet red armor was all lightweight, with a leather coat being worn above her waist. The girl's weapons were a pair of golden yellow gauntlets with crimson studs for the knuckles. On her feet were a pair of brown leather boots.

Lilly's race was that of a Cait Sith. Two cat ears perked out from her head and a tail sprouted from her rear, the regular traits of any Cait Sith player. Her hair and fur were a golden blonde color. Unlike her sister, Lilly was more of a mid-range fighter due to her build as a sword mage. Her hair was in the same short ponytail style she had in the real world. She wore a light brown robe that fell to the ankles, and was open below her waist. Hidden underneath the robe was a short sword that she used on the rare occasions she found it necessary to fight up close. On the girl's feet were a pair of sandals.

The two sisters made their way through the city, finally arriving at the meeting place. Already there were the Kirigaya sisters Yui and Strea, as well as Sayaka and Tetsuya.

Yui was of the Spriggan race. Her long black hair fell down to her waist. She had a dark black coat that she wore over her clothing. Yui's clothing underneath her coat was all lightweight, allowing her no decrease in speed. At the end of it was a violet miniskirt that reminded her of her mother's outfit back in SAO. In fact, a lot of her clothing was a mix between the styles of her mother and father. But her weapon of choice copied that of her father's, two swords sheathed at her back.

Strea had the tanish hair of the Gnome race. A large two-handed sword hung on her back. She wore a strapless dress that was a mix of violet and silver colors. At each of her shoulders were a red crystal-like object acting as shoulder pads. Her chest was fairly exposed, a trait of her outfit that got a lot of attention from male players. Plum stockings stretched up from her heavy combat boots.

Sayaka was an Undine and acted as the support role of the group. An elegant blue and white robe covered most of her body. She was the youngest of the group, but not by any drastic amount of time. In her hands, she held a long staff with a round blue jewel at the end. Her hair was a dark blue color and fell close to her shoulders.

Tetsuya was one of the faster members of the friend group. He was a Sylph with smooth blonde hair. His clothing consisted of lightweight metal armor that covered the top half of his body, which was covered by a green and yellow shirt. The pants he had on below his waist were a similar color. At his waist was a thin one-handed sword.

Back when they had all first entered ALO, Yui had already had an avatar of her own. Her name was exactly the same as it had been in the real world, since she wanted to see herself as the tiny pixie that had grown and learned how to fight as the skilled swordswoman she was now. Since it felt odd to have Yui as the only one using her real world name, each of her friends had done the same. It also made conversing with each other inside and outside the virtual world a lot easier.

"Hey guys!" Lilly greeted with a wave as she and Rin ran over to their friends. "You ready for today's quest?"

"Totally!" Strea grinned. "We're gonna kick some ass and get our hands on that rare weapon!"

Rin looked at the group, noticing an absent member. "Where's Naoki?"

"Where do you think?" Yui replied dryly.

Rin let out a groan. "Again? Seriously? And today of all days too."

"He's over by the cafe area of town." Tesuya said. "That tends to be where most of the female players hang around."

"Ugh, let's just go get that idiot already."

The group traveled to the popular downtown cafe in search of their missing member. Lo and behold he was by the counter flirting with a Sylph who was trying her best to look interested. The Salamander in question had red messy hair that he often described as 'windswept and charming' with an equally charming smile on his face. His choice of armor was on the heavier spectrum with full red and black plated chest and leg armor with spike grieved gloves. On his back was a large two handed sword that had a black signia of fire in the middle of it.

"So mi amor, how about we fly out to a romantic space I know of?" Naoki said smoothly.

"Well I would but I have something to do."

"Ah really?"

"No not really, I just don't want to be alone with you."

Naoki looked as though he was just shot from the flat out cold rejection and fell to the ground as the player left him behind. Just as Rin was about to go over and tear Naoki a new one, Strea put her hand in the way and shook her head. "Leave this to me, I got this."

The Gnome walked up to the sulking Salamander and gave him a comforting pat on the back. "There, there Naoki. She lasted for about, like what, two minutes this time? I think that's a personal best for you."

Naoki slowly looked up to the smiling girl with a vacant expression on his face. "Strea. You're not helping. You never help. Just stop."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Well maybe if you stopped chasing after every pretty face you see, girls wouldn't view you as such a pervert."

"Hey, I am not a pervert!" Naoki argued. "I just have a fair respect for the artwork that is the female body, that's all."

The group all rolled their eyes at their friend. Yui sighed and shook her head. "Well ignoring Naoki's 'mild respect' for females, shall we get going now that everyone's here?"

"Yeah!" the group all shouted in unison.

Lilly opened her menu. "According to the info I found, the dungeon we're looking for is the Misty Wetlands. Deep inside we'll find the Spring of Truth, home to the rare blade Mysltein. The dungeon is in southern Undine territory near the Undine-Imp border."

"Ok, so that's our destination." Yui said. "Let's head out guys."

The group all teleported to the capital of Undine territory and took off flying towards the dungeon. Yui took the lead as they flew. With the Spriggan girl being the oldest of the group, she had become the leader of them, not to mention the fact that she was the most skilled fighter out of the group. In fact, the reason they were going to the quest for Mysltein was for Yui.

While Yui wielded two swords for her fighting style, neither of her blades were of a high class grade. One of them was a rare monster drop, while the other one she had gotten crafted by a blacksmith in the Leprechaun capital. Both were strong swords, but she wanted something even better. Perhaps it was the same kind of drive her father had when he was younger and played VRMMOs.

Yui took a look at her map as they flew, finally spotting their destination. "Down there."

The group landed down on the wetland fields of Undine territory. The majority of monsters that spawned here were aquatic and plant monsters.

"The quest NPC should be somewhere around here." Yui said as she looked around. Finally her eyes caught sight of a woman in the distance. "Over there."

The seven players walked up to the female NPC. Yui walked forward and spoke to her. "Excuse me miss, can we help you?" Suddenly a window popped up in front of her, reading 'Do you wish to start the Sword Sealed in the Mist quest?'. Yui pressed the 'Yes' tab and the NPC took notice of them.

"Oh, fairy warriors!" the woman spoke. "I beg of you, please help us! There is a legendary blade that goes by the name of Mysltein hidden deep within the wetlands. It was once used by a man named Prainn to slaughter an entire army single handedly. The weapon was too dangerous in the hands of the man, so the sword was stolen and hidden inside here so that no one would ever be able to use it again. But Prainn has discovered this place and is trying to reclaim Myslteinn. If he obtains it, there is no telling what disasters he could bring."

"Leave it to us ma'am." Yui assured her. "We'll stop Prainn from getting that sword."

"Thank you, kind brave warriors." the woman said with a bow. "If you can save us from this upcoming tragedy, I will reward you."

The icon above the woman changed to a quest in-progress icon. Yui turned to face her friends. "Ok, so we all know the objective of this quest. We'll use our usual formation when it comes time for the boss. Lilly, you stay in the back and work on buffing us and using long range magic when you can while Sayaka heals. The rest of us will switch in and out for aggroing. Until the boss room appears though, we'll proceed with each fight however necessary. Any questions?" No one spoke so Yui nodded her head. "Alright then. Let's go and clear this quest!"

"Right!" the seven of them all shouted eagerly.

 **A/N: Ok so I know seeing a bunch of new characters at once may make things a little confusing but this chapter and next chapter will be dedicated to trying to show you each of their own... unique personalities... in order to make things less confusing.**

 **And for those of you wondering what Strea looks like, it's basically the same as her avatar in Lost Song. In the real world, she looks like her regular self, but with Asuna's chestnut colored hair (cause her lavender colored one from Hollow Fragment doesn't seem like a trait she could inherit from her parents).**


	9. The Legendary Mysltein

**A/N: Hey everybody. Time for another look at the little Wyverns this story will be based on. Enjoy. Also, one review mentioned the Japanese school system, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know much of it outside of the basics. But yeah, an age range of 15-17 is about what I was going for.**

"Yui! Two water apparitions on your right!"

"Got it! Thanks Sayaka!"

Yui leaped into the air, dodging the incoming blow from the two aquatic monsters just in time. She dived down at them, performing a spiral slash with her two swords that cut the monsters apart. Their HP fell a bit, but they still had some left. They each raised one of their arms and swung them down at her. Yui jumped away before they could make contact. The two monsters chased the female Spriggan as she led them around. "You almost done with those toads, Strea?"

"Working on it!" Strea called back as she dodged a tongue from one of the toads. She slashed her sword at the long appendage, severing it from the rest of the monster. The toad cried out in pain. "Now Rin! You're up!"

"Leave it to me!" Rin grinned. She sped forward and slid underneath the toad, delivering an upwards kick to its stomach. The blow made the monster fall over onto its back. Rin leaped into the air and went for the killing blow. She dived down and smashed her fist into the toad, finishing off the rest of its HP. With the last of the toads finished, she called over to Yui. "All done here!"

"Good." Yui said, backflipping away. "Now get back. Lilly, wrap this up!"

The others got away from the remaining monsters, all of which were water apparitions. Meanwhile, Lilly reached for her belt and pulled out a small whistle-like item. She blew into it and soon a small yellow dragon with emerald eyes appeared at her side. She smiled at the small dragon. "You ready, Nikko?" The dragon chirped in response. "Ok then. Nikko, Stunning Echo!"

Nikko fired a sound wave attack towards the water apparitions. The sound waves made them dazed and confused as they stumbled around aimlessly. Lilly used the opportunity to chant a spell. "Ekku fureigyua shikku kaminari." As she finished the incantation, sparks of lightning came to the Cait Sith's fingertips. Lilly snapped her fingers with her arm stretched out towards the direction of one of the water apparitions and a bolt of lightning shot out. The lightning projectile hit one of the water apparitions, causing its health to vanish from being hit by an element it was weak to.

As the first one shattered into fragments, the other apparitions regained their senses. They all moved in towards Lilly, the Cait Sith having the most aggro from slaying one of them. Lilly grinned at having them all lined up in her field of sight. She snapped her fingers two more times, firing a lightning blast with each snap. They hit the monsters directly in the heads, causing them both to be killed instantly.

Lilly smirked as she blew on her index finger like a gunman blowing the smoke from a recently fired pistol. "Any more of you want to come out? I've got seven more of these baddies right here."

"Sorry, but looks like that's the last of them, Lilly." Yui said with a smile, sheathing her two swords on her back. "But your spell made that a lot easier. Thanks."

"Those damn apparition-type monsters are so annoying though." Rin complained as she stretched her arms out. "Physical attacks barely do a thing to them. The only way to fight them is with magic attacks."

"Good thing we brought Lilly along then." Tetsuya said. "That spell of hers is wicked awesome. Ten shots of any element is helpful no matter what."

Lilly giggled at the praise she received. The spell she had used was called Elemental Pistol. It gave her ten blasts of whatever element she wanted, the element being selected based on the final word of the incantation she used. All she had to do was snap her fingers to fire one. The round of ten lasted for five minutes, or until she recited a different spell. Each shot was relatively weak compared to higher ranking spells, but her Cait Sith eyesight allowed her to hit enemy weak points fairly easily. Her element of choice tended to be fire, but she knew better than to go with that against monsters of a water affiliation. The spell was useful whenever she was fighting one on one and needed to use magic. Most mages weren't capable of fighting on their own, sticking mostly to fighting in parties, but the Elemental Pistol spell gave Lilly the advantage she needed for it.

"Well that seems to be it for all of the mobs in this area." Yui said. "Shall we continue?"

"You bet." Rin nodded. "Hopefully there aren't anymore apparition monsters. I wanna be able to send something flying with a punch and those toads are way too big to move more a couple feet with a hit."

"You might be able to move them with something else though." Naoki said with a grin as he walked up next to the female Salamander, his eyes pointing towards her chest. "You've got more gauntlets other than the ones on your hands, if you know what I-"

BAM!

One punch from Rin sent Naoki on a one way trip from where he was standing, straight into a tree. He groaned in pain as he tried to stop his head from spinning.

"Well you sent someONE flying." Tetsuya commented with an amused grin. "Close enough I guess."

"Ugh, I don't know if that dork can even be considered a person with some of the comments he makes." Rin said with a scowl.

Yui and the others shared a chuckle at Naoki's expense. Yui looked at her party. "Alright, we're almost at the boss room. Just a little more, guys. Let's keep moving." The group all continued onwards further into the woods. Naoki's vision cleared up as he watched everyone leave without him.

"Guys?! Wait for me!"

* * *

After Naoki eventually caught up with the rest of his friends, the group continued making their way through the forest dungeon. As they got closer to the boss room, they could all notice that the mist was growing much thicker. It started to become hard for them to see each other as they walked.

"Geez, how are we supposed to fight in this mist?" Strea complained as they walked.

"We can't." Tetsuya said. "Heck, we won't even be able to see a mob until they're right on top of us."

Yui kept her eyes peeled as they walked. Her searching skill was working at half efficiency at best in the thick mist. But they hadn't run into ay enemies for the past few minutes. Also, the path hadn't seemed to branch off for awhile. All of her instincts were telling her the same thing.

' _The boss room is coming up.'_

Soon the sound of laughing was heard. Yui and the others all stopped in their tracks and instinctively reached for their weapons. The laughter seemed to echo around them. None of them could tell where it was coming from.

"I've found it! I've finally found it after all this time!"

The mist around the group began to shift. It all converged ahead of them, forming into a large tornado shape. The area around them became clear, all of the mist from the dungeon collected into the tornado in front of them.

"I'm guessing that's the Prainn guy the NPC mentioned." Rin said.

"Probably." Yui nodded. She addressed the party. "Get into formation everyone! The boss fight's coming!"

The group all got ready for the upcoming fight. Soon the mist in front of them all evaporated out of nowhere. Standing at what had been the center of the storm was a muscular man with armor resembling that of a general. His expression caused Yui and the others to question his sanity.

"You!" Prainn exclaimed, pointing at the players. "Y-You're after my treasure, aren't you?! My beloved Mysltein!"

"We won't allow you to leave here with that sword!" Yui declared. "You're going to use it to throw the world into chaos, aren't you?!"

"Silence! This is MY Mysltein!" Prainn shouted. "If you stand in my way, then I will crush you like the worms you are!"

Prainn raised the sword into the air. Suddenly, mist from the entire dungeon began to blow towards him. It all converged around him, forming into one giant cloud of mist. The cloud began to take shape, growing two arms as it rose up. Two piercing red eyes emerged at what they assumed was the creature's head. Three health bars appeared next to it, with its name being visible above its head. Mist Phantom, Prainn.

"Die you thieves!" Prainn roared as he swung his large hand down at the group. Lilly and Sayaka jumped back while the others all jumped to the side. The mist appendage crashed into the ground with a smash.

"How does an arm made out of mist make a solid impact?!" Naoki exclaimed.

"Forget how it makes sense, just make sure to avoid it!" Rin told him.

"Lilly! Sayaka! We need buffs!" Yui said.

"Right! We're on it!" Sayaka nodded. She and Lilly began to chant spells, supplying their party with a multitude of buffs.

Rin groaned as she looked at the giant mist monster in front of them. "Even with buffs, are we even gonna be able to hurt that thing with physical attacks?"

"One way to find out." Tetsuya said. He sped forward, attacking the boss with a few slashes. Red gashes appeared, showing that he had done some damage to it. But looking up at its health bar, he could see the damage was very little.

"We could try elemental sword skills." Yui suggested. "But we'd be way too exposed afterwards."

"Don't worry. I've got you guys covered." Sayaka said from behind. She chanted another spell and soon the party had a buff next to their cursor, giving their attacks a lightning affinity.

Naoki grinned at the buff. "Nice! Time to do some damage!" He charged at the boss and slashed into it. The elemental portion of the damage clearly had an effect on the boss as it fell back slightly. It roared and swung its arm at the male Salamander. Naoki brought up his sword to block it just it time, but the hit still knocked him back a few feet.

The fight continued for nearly half an hour, with Lilly and Sayaka rebuffing everyone when the time came to renew them. Lilly also fired lightning attacks on occasion while Sayaka healed the party members that were damaged. Meanwhile, Yui and the other close range fighters continued to damage Prainn over time. Eventually, his health fell to the red. He only had half of an HP bar left. The boss was on its last legs, but the same could be said for the others. The fight was beginning to take a toll on them.

"We're almost there, guys!" Yui said. "Just a little more!"

Tetsuya took the initiative and ran forward. He chanted a spell as he ran and when he finished, he blasted a gust of wind below him that propelled him into the air. He delivered a series of slashes to the boss as he fell, damaging it a little with each one.

Yui looked over at Rin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Rin grinned and nodded her head. "Let's do it."

Rin grabbed Yui's arm and began to spin her around, gaining more and more momentum as she continued to spin the Spriggan girl. Finally Rin let go, throwing Yui into the air directly above Prainn. Her two swords lit up as Yui spun around midair, delivering a continuous spiral slash to the boss that severely depleted its health. Prainn roared in pain.

Lilly added onto the assault as she chanted another spell with her hand stretched out. When she finished, a red stream shot out from her palm and flew towards the boss. When it made contact, a large explosion occurred, damaging Prainn even further. The mist around him began to vanish, and soon all that was left was the human general holding Mysltein in his hand. His HP hadn't been completely finished yet.

"You're up Rin!" Yui grinned. "Go for the finishing blow!"

"My pleasure!" Rin said as she ran up to him.

Prainn glared at the Salamander girl as she closed the distance between them. He swung his sword at her. "Die!"

Rin smirked as she easily ducked under the slash, delivering an upwards kick to Prainn, sending him flying into the air. She then leaped up, getting bove him as he fell. Rin sent two swift punches his way, before hitting him with an axe kick that sent him crashing into the ground. He moaned in pain and shattered into fragments just as Rin landed onto the ground.

The 'Congratulations' sign appeared above them and the group all let out a cheer for their victory. Yui sheathed her swords onto her back before taking a seat to catch her breath. Out of nowhere, she found herself tackled by Strea. The Gnome embraced her sister tightly, holding her in a bear hug.

"We did it sis! That was awesome!"

Yui gasped for air as she endured the tight hug that her sister was infamous for. "Yes, yes, I know! Can you let go, Strea? I can't breathe!"

"Nope! Gotta shower my big sis with all of the love I can!"

Rin and the others shared a laugh at Yui's expense as the female Spriggan tried to free herself from her sister's tight grasp. Soon a window opened up in front of her, showing her the drops they had gotten from the boss fight and from completing the quest. The one item in particular that brought a smile to her face was one item in particular. The one she had come here for. The blade Mysltein.

Yui pressed the tab and the blade manifested in her hands. The sword had a clear white handle with a yellow gem embedded at the end of the grip. The sharp blade of the weapon sparkled with a light blue color. Yui returned her new weapon to her inventory and managed to escape from Strea's grip. She looked at her friends with a smile on her face. "I want to thank you guys. It's because of you that I was able to get this sword.

"Heh, anything for our courageous leader." Naoki said with a grin. "But since you seem so grateful, I've heard there's this great couple's spot that-"

"I'm grateful Naoki, not desperate."

Naoki hung his head low while the others shared a laugh at his expense. With the quest over with, the group all headed back to Yggdrasil City. Yui split up the rewards for the quest among the seven of them as they traveled. All she needed was the main prize of the quest, Mysltein. The rest she was more than happy to give to her friends for helping her get her hands on the blade.

"Hey, why don't we go to some place to celebrate our win?" Lilly suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Rin agreed. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm in." Tetsuya nodded.

"Me too!" Strea cheered.

"Sounds like fun." Sayaka smiled.

And thus the plan was made for the party's victory celebration. Strea recommended a place she knew of for them to go to and just like that they were off.

* * *

After arriving back in Yggdrasil City, the party of seven went to a restaurant to celebrate their victory in their quest. Once the NPC waitress arrived with their drinks, Strea raised her glass into the air. "To our victory in the quest to get my big sis the blade Mysltein! Cheers everyone!"

"Cheers!"

Yui and the others all took a sip of their drinks and chatted away about plans for summer vacation. The only ones of them that went to the same school were the Kirigaya and Hiryo sisters. Naoki and the others each attended different high schools. The amount of distance between them made it difficult to hang out in the real world often. But with it being summer vacation, the would be able to meet up a lot more.

"So Yui, are you participating in the tournament in two days?" Tetsuya asked. "I mean, you've got a brand new sword and all now."

Yui shook her head. "No. I've got stuff I'm doing IRL, so I won't be able to participate." She looked over at Rin with a grin on her face. "But I know someone who's definitely psyched to fight in it."

"You better believe it." Rin grinned. "I'll make sure to kick some ass for all of us!"

"I'll be there too." Naoki added. "And I'm gonna be the one to win."

"In your dreams Naoki." Lilly said as she put an arm around her sister. "Rin's got this in the bag."

"I wouldn't count Naoki out that easily." Tetsuya said.

"Yeah! You tell 'em Tetsuya!" Naoki smirked. He looked directly at Rin. "Let's make a promise Rin. You and me won't lose until we face each other."

"Deal." Rin nodded. "And when we face off, I'm gonna make sure you and the ground really get to know each other."

"I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"Enough about the tournament already." Strea said as she finished another bite of her meal. "Is everyone still good to hang out IRL tomorrow?"

The group all nodded their heads in response. Rin was the first to speak. "Of course. As long as SOME of us aren't late because they're gawking at girls."

Naoki narrowed his eyes at the female Salamander. "... I can't help but feel that was directed at me for some reason."

"Then don't do it all the time." Lilly said with a roll of her eyes.

The seven of them continued to talk together for a bit longer. Eventually it came time for everyone to log off. They all said their goodbyes and parted ways, each of them logging off and returning to the real world.

* * *

Rin removed her Amu Sphere from her head as she sat up on her bed. The teenage girl stretched her arms out and got off of her bed. As she walked out into the hallway, she saw Lilly come out of her room as well. The two sisters high fived each other for the success in their quest today.

"Rin! Lilly! Are you two logged off yet?!" their mother called from downstairs.

"Yeah! We just got off!" Rin called down. She and Lilly headed downstairs and came into the kitchen.

Alicia stood at the kitchen counter, putting the finishing touches on dinner. Being an author did give her the advantage at working from home, so most of the housework was left to her. Cooking meals was also her job at the house, but that was mostly due to the fact that she knew her husband couldn't cook anything other than the basics.

"So did you two have fun online?" Alicia asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. We went on a quest to help get Yui a new sword."

"That sure sounds exciting." Alicia commented with a smile. "Reminds me of the old days when your father and I played VR games."

While Rin and Lilly were aware that their parents were part of the infamous SAO Incident, they didn't know much more beyond that. Their mother had told them small bits and stories of a few adventures they had though, something both Rin and Lilly enjoyed listening to.

Soon the front door to the house opened and Dan walked in. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, honey." Alicia smiled. "How was work?"

"Well, the project we're working on now is starting to come along nicely." Dan explained. "Ever since Yui's body was finished, Kouichirou's been working hard to try and find a good use for AI Technology in the real world. But just creating the body is already tricky enough as it is. We're still in the early stages for the second one."

With how well Yui had adjusted to her body, the CEO of RECT Kouichirou Yuuki was more than willing to pull together the resources to try and create a second body for an AI mind to be transplanted into. The project idea was still top secret. No one outside of Yui's close friends and family knew of her origins as an AI. Kazuto and Asuna had insisted on it, not wanting their daughter to be swarmed by media because of it. Kouichirou had agreed, not only due to his sister's wishes but also because he didn't like to think what certain types of people would try and do with the technology if it was revealed it was possible.

"Hey dad." Rin and Lilly both greeted.

Dan smiled as he ruffled both of the girls' hair. "Hey you two? How's my favorite two girls?"

Rin blushed and swatted her father's hand away playfully. "Come on dad, we're not little kids anymore. Can you stop with the hair ruffling?"

Lilly nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, it's embarrassing."

Their father let out a chuckle. "Sorry. I used to do that all the time with your Aunt Clair back when we were kids."

"I remember her telling you to stop at one point too." Alicia said as she walked over and gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "Alright now, all of you wash up. Dinner's ready."

Once the Hiryo family got ready and sat down at the table, they ate dinner as a family. Alicia talked about her latest upcoming novel. Dan said bits and pieces about work. Rin and Lilly talked about their plans for summer vacation, most notably their plan to hang out with Yui and the others.

 **A/N: Well now you've all had a good look at the fighting styles for each of the new characters I hope. For those of you wondering why I decided to have Rin and the others have the same names in-game and IRL, it's because I know it took some time for readers to memorize the names of the original Wyvern's Inferno when they were revealed. This will hopefully make things a lot easier. Next chapter will focus on the group as they hang out IRL, so get ready for some shenanigans. See you in a week.**


	10. Pool Day

**A/N: Hey readers! Since it's coming up, only 3 more weeks until the SAO movie! In honor of the upcoming great event that we are all waiting for, I will be doing a weekly countdown to the movie with each chapter. But for now, enjoy the chapter everyone.**

The warm summer sun bathed on the Hiryo household as Rin and Lily ate breakfast together with their parents. They had plans to meet up with their friends later today, which was something they rarely got to do IRL. They didn't all live close together so setting up dates to hang out in the real world was difficult.

"So what are you and your friends planning on doing today?" Dan asked.

"There's a community pool over by where Sayaka lives." Rin explained. "After we meet up, we're all going swimming there."

"That sounds like fun." Alicia smiled. "Have fun you two."

Once breakfast was over, Rin and Lilly both bagged up their swimsuits before heading out the door. "We'll see you later! Bye mom! Bye dad!" the two girls said as they closed the door behind them and headed over to the meeting place.

Dan smiled as his two daughters left. "Those two definitely inherited your energetic personality, Alicia."

"I think they inherited that a little from both of us." Alicia told him. "I just hope neither of them inherits the recklessness you had as a kid."

A laugh escaped her husband as he leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

Asuna was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the morning's breakfast. If there was any one job she had that no one else ever did in the house, it was cooking. It wasn't that no one else could, Asuna had been teaching Yui and Strea her secrets for the past year or so. It was just that no one seemed to be able to do it like her.

As she finished, Asuna laid each of her family's plate out on the kitchen table. She called upstairs. "Everyone! Breakfast is ready!"

It didn't even take five seconds before Asuna could hear the sound of footsteps coming downstairs. Yui and Strea entered the kitchen and quickly scurried over to the kitchen table. "Morning mom." they both said before digging in.

Yui's human body resembled greatly to a teenage version of how she looked back when she was an AI. It only made sense, considering that the body almost looked like an exact replica of it when she first transferred her consciousness into it. Now the body grew in proportion to her age, making it just as human as she could have ever dreamed.

Like the rest of their friends, Strea's appearance in the real world looked quite similar to her appearance in ALO. Other than the obvious difference in hair color, her real world hair being a chestnut color like her mother's, there wasn't much of a difference.

Asuna giggled as she watched her two daughters eat. "Honestly, you both have the same endless hunger your father does." She looked towards the entrance to the kitchen and noticed the man in question was nowhere to be seen. "Speaking of which, where is your father?"

"Dad's still sleeping." Yui explained.

A smile came to Asuna's face. That sounded like Kazuto alright. If there was anything else he was a master at besides eating, it was sleeping. She turned her attention back to her girls. "You both really have grown up. I remember when you both used to call us Mama and Papa, especially you, Yui."

Yui blushed slightly. "Mom, I'm sixteen. I can't call you and dad that forever. It's embarrassing."

Strea smirked at her sister. "So you say, but I've heard you call them that on occasion, especially when you talk about the past."

"Strea!"

Asuna giggled as she watched her two daughters argue. She never got to have this kind of childhood for herself. Growing up in the 'proper' lifestyle of the Yuuki family, Asuna never had the luxury of goofing around and having fun. That was what she loved about her life now. She lived in a simple home with her family living a simple life. Her father had bought the house for them, despite her continuous arguing on her wanting to get one herself, but Asuna knew her father just wanted to do one last thing for his little girl.

Looking at the time, Asuna realized she had to get going for her shift at the hospital. "I have to get going now. Wash the dishes once you're done. And make sure to wake your father up if he isn't awake before you leave." she said as she both gave her daughters a kiss on the cheek. "Bye you two. Have fun with your friends today."

"Bye mom." they both said as their mother walked out the door.

After Asuna left, it didn't take much longer for Yui and Strea to finish their breakfast. Their father came downstairs as they were washing the dishes. They said goodbye to him as they gathered their stuff and headed out to hang with their friends.

* * *

"Hyde! Naoki! Breakfast!"

Both Gekido males yawned as they came downstairs from their respective rooms. Lilina couldn't help but sigh and smile at how similar the father and son were to each other. Granted Naoki was far more stable than her husband had been in their teen years, he made up for it by being a delicate womanizer. She supposed she only had her cousins and their children to blame for that since Naoki was the only male child from the current generation of Yoakes'. Being surrounded by cute girls who encouraged him with confidence would do that to an impressionable boy.

Naoki's hair was the same red color as his mother's, though he kept it messy much like Hyde had done at his age. His blue eyes also resembled that of Lilina's. Despite the fact that he was the only male in his family's generation on Lilina's side of the family, there was no denying that he still had a lot of similarities to his mother's looks.

"Hyde why aren't you dressed yet? You can't just lay around all day you know?" Lilina said said with a poke to her sleepy husband's chest.

Hyde gave a smile and kissed Lilina on the head. "Relax honey, my shift starts at twelve so I have plenty of time to relax."

"Must be nice being an art director for a VR project huh dad?"

The older Gekido pulled in his son and put him into a playful noogie which he tried to squirm out of. "You know it kiddo! Play your cards right and you could be your own boss too."

"Alright enough of that you two, breakfast is getting cold."

The family all sat down at the table and began munching on the omelets Lilina had made. Sometimes it was hard to believe how well Hyde turned out to be a father when it came to raising Naoki. He was as supportive as could be with his son's desires and was very good at making sure he stayed out of trouble. On the outside it may look like Hyde had never even changed after becoming an adult, his friends and wife could see that he had come far since they first knew each other.

Hyde put his dishes in the sink and began washing them to show thanks for Lilina cooking. He turned around to his wife and child with a questioning brow. "So what's the game plan today?"

Lilina brought her dish to her husband and kissed his cheek. "Well me and Shu are going be holding a meeting with a partner company that's gotten a bit too demanding for us. Gotta put them back in their place."

"Shu's lucky to have you."

"I tell him that every day."

"And you Naoki?"

The teenager brought his finished dish to his dad and smiled excitedly. "Sayaka invited Rin and the others to go swimming at the pool today. So that means I get to see the girls in their cute swimsuits~!"

Lilina bopped her son on the head softly with a wooden spoon. "Easy there tiger, don't get too ahead of yourself. Rin, Yui, and the others are way out of your league."

Naoki rubbed his head and frowned at his mother. "And you would know that how?"

"Haven't Rin and Yui alone rejected your advances about ten times?"

"Eight times thank you very much! And anyway it would be best to avoid Yui and Rin this time around. Don't want to get banned from the pool."

Hyde gave a pat to his son's back. "Buck up kid you'll get a girl soon enough. I have confidence in that."

Naoki smiled at his dad and gave him a thumbs up. "You know it dad! Thanks for food mom, it was great!"

Lilina kissed her son on the head and ruffled his already messy hair. "Be safe on your way to the pool. I don't want you getting hurt while distracted by girls."

"Relax mom I'll be fine! Let me just wash up and head on out!"

The teenager leapt from the kitchen back upstairs to take a quick shower to freshen up. While he did this Hyde picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few rings an annoyed voice came from the other line.

"What do you want jackass?"

"Just thought I'd let you know my kid is coming to the pool near your place to meet up with his friends. If anything happens to him and you didn't do anything to stop it, I'll burn down your house and destroy your car."

"Do you have to give me this threat every time Naoki comes anywhere near my house?"

"I'm just being a good parent is all and making sure my kid is safe and sound. So better pray he doesn't get hurt cause that spare gallon of gasoline has your name written all over it." Not waiting for any answer back he simply hung up the phone and sighed contently. "You know, sometimes it's just the little things in life that you love the most."

Lilina rolled her eyes and brought her suitcase out of the closet. "You know Rika can call Shino on you right?"

"Pfft like I'm scared of her. I'm doing what any responsible parent would do in my shoes. The extremity of my actions are just to emphasize how much i want Naoki to be safe." He defended.

"Well you're just as crazy as you are a good parent."

"And you love me for it baby!"

The red haired woman rolled her eyes playfully at her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Well see you later. Someone's gotta scare that boardroom of idiots and it ain't gonna be Shu."

"Tell him I said hey."

Lilina waved goodbye to her Hyde and left the house with Naoki quickly following dressed in his swimtrunks and a white undershirt. Once his son left Hyde cracked his knuckles and started gathering what he'd need to start his latest project. Hopefully through working on this project he'd get to see Kazuto or Dan again as it's been too long for his tastes to see his friends.

* * *

"Ugh! That stupid pompous jackass!" Rika groaned. "Who does he think he is?!"

"Hyde again?" Yuya asked, knowing the one person that always managed to get under his wife's skin.

"He acts like I have no experience taking care of kids! I raised Sayaka well, didn't I?"

Yuya showed his wife a smile as he walked up and hugged her. "You've been a wonderful mother to Sayaka. And I know she thinks the same."

"What about me?" Sayaka asked as she came into the room. Her short tan hair fell just down to her shoulders, while her eyes were the same mix of pink and brown as her mother's.

"Oh, nothing." Rika said. "So, are you heading out now to meet up with your friends?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yep. I'm all set."

"Good. Now get out there and have some fun." Rika said with a grin. "And if that Naoki tries anything funny with you, promise to tell me."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Mom, I know what you think of him, but he isn't that bad. And besides, Rin would probably punch him if he tried anything to any of us."

"Well you just be careful, alright."

"Sure mom." Sayaka said as she walked out the door. "I'll see you later. Bye."

As Sayaka closed the door behind him, Yuya put an arm around his wife's waist. "You know, you could trust Naoki a little bit more. I know you and Hyde didn't get along, but Naoki's not like his father from what I've seen."

Rika crossed her arms. "I don't care. There's no telling what kind of stuff Hyde taught his kid over the years. And if Sayaka gets hurt because of it, both of them are gonna pay for it."

* * *

Tetsuya walked into the kitchen of his house. Shino had just put his breakfast on the table, where Shirou was busy reading the paper.

Tetsuya's hair was a dirty blonde color, mixing in his father's blonde hair with his mother's brunette one. His eyes were clearly inherited from his mother, having the same hazel color and the same sharp look in them.

"Morning Tetsuya." Shino greeted with a smile.

"Morning mom." Tetsuya replied as he sat down to eat. "Are you off today? You're usually at work by now."

Shino shook her head. "One of the other officers couldn't stay late so we traded shifts. I'm going in later today. What about you? When are you meeting up with your friends?"

"I'm heading out right after breakfast." he explained.

"How's the fencing club training going? Don't you have a competition over the summer?" his father asked.

Tetsuya nodded. "Yeah, that's in a month or so. We're training the entire week before."

"Well good luck." Shino said as she walked up and gave her son a kiss on the cheek. "Your father and I are rooting for you."

"Thanks." Tetsuya said. He managed to finish his breakfast quickly and brought it over to the sink. "Alright, I'm heading out now. See you later."

"Have fun! Be safe!" Shino said with a wave as her son walked out the door. She wasn't sure if it was because of her job or not as a police officer or just her as a mother, but she did tend to worry a lot. But she knew Tetsuya could take care of himself. He had to be in order to survive being best friends with Hyde's son.

* * *

Sayaka waited by the entrance to the pool, with her swimsuit in her bag as she waited for her friends. A few more minutes passed before she soon caught sight of Rin, Lilly, Yui, and Strea as they all waved over to her.

"Hey, Sayaka!" Lilly greeted. "Perfect day for a swim, isn't it?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah." She blushed slightly. "I just hope there aren't many boys around."

"Ah, come on Sayaka. You gotta stop being so shy." Strea grinned as she put an arm around her friend. "If you've got it, then work it. That's all there is to it."

Sayaka's blush became even redder. "B-But they'll all be staring. And I don't know if I can swim properly if everyone's looking at me."

"Relax Sayaka." Rin grinned. "If there's any perverts like Naoki there that try and pull something funny, I'll be sure to knock some manners into them."

Strea frowned. "Aw, but it's fun to watch boys think they have a chance and then dash their hopes."

A new voice was soon heard. "I know you loved pulling that trick on me." The girls all turned their heads to see Naoki and Tetsuya walk over, with Naoki being the one who made the comment just now. Naoki narrowed his eyes at Strea. "Seriously, I still remember the time you said you wanted to hang out, and when you showed up I ended up being a pack mule for you and your friends while you went shopping."

Strea giggled as she remembered. "Good times, good times."

"Strea's antics aside" Tetsuya said. "I'm ready to swim, what about you guys?"

Rin grinned as she gave a thumbs up. "You better believe it. I'm breaking out a brand new swimsuit today."

"I'm ready too." Yui nodded. "Let's all hurry up and get changed."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at Naoki. "And don't go peeking, you got that? We're not saving you if you get thrown out."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Tetsuya said, putting an arm around Naoki's shoulder.

"At least there's ONE person we can count on not to act like a creep." Rin said as she and the other girls walked towards the women's changing room.

Inside the changing room, the girls took turns in the stalls changing into their swimsuits. There were only three stalls, so the first ones in were Rin, Strea, and Sayaka. There didn't seem to be many people at the pool yet, since it was still early. Lilly, Yui, and Sayaka all waited outside the stalls for their friends to come out.

"I'm ready~!" Strea said with a happy cheer as she emerged from the stall. She was wearing a violet bikini that did a good job of showing her chest off. Sexy and eccentric were Strea's style after all.

"You're really trying to get the attention of all the guys, huh sis?" Yui said.

"Hey it's like I said earlier, if you've got it, work it." Strea grinned at her sister. "The boys get a show, and I get all eyes on me. It's a win-win."

Yui let out a sigh, knowing it was useless to argue with Strea. She was like a speeding train. She went one direction, and there was no stopping her. "Well I for one prefer to go for something a little less revealing."

"Aw come on, you've got the goods, Yui. Why not show them off?" Strea said with a giggle as she grabbed her sister's own pair of hooters from behind. The chestnut haired girl proceeded to give a small squeeze. "You could turn a few heads for sure."

"S-Strea! What are you doing?!" Yui exclaimed with her face completely red as she moved away from her sister while holding her arms to her chest.

Strea let out a giggle at her sister. "Sorry, but you have to admit you could easily get a boyfriend if you let the guys see more of you."

Yui shook her head. "I don't want a guy dating me just for my looks. I still remember that Sugou creep mom used to know." A shiver went down her spine as she thought about the parasite. "I'd like to stay away from those type of men and find someone who likes me for me."

"Nothing wrong with that, but you gotta get them to notice you first." Strea said with a wink.

"I still remember the first time we went swimming together." Lilly said. She giggled at the old memory. "We were worried about whether Yui would be affected by the water."

"To be fair, we were only about eight at the time." Rin said as she came out. She was wearing a scarlet red bikini, though a much less revealing one than Strea's. "We didn't know just how similar your body was to a human's. For all we knew, you were in a robot body and it would short-circuit."

"Well my dad sure did put his all into designing it." Yui said. "There's some small differences obviously, but it's as human as I can get."

"You're human enough to all of us, I know that much." Lilly smiled. "And anyone that says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about."

Yui saw the other girls nod, and a smile came to her face. "Thanks. You girls are the best."

"Hey Sayaka, you almost done in there?" Strea asked.

"Y-Yes! Coming!" Sayaka stuttered. She came out from the stall dressed in a cute light-blue one piece swimsuit. It did a nice job of emphasizing her curves. As she looked at Rin and Strea, she looked down with an embarrassed blush. ' _Maybe I should have tried a bikini instead. I look so childish right now. But if I went with a bikini, I'd have boys staring at me all day.'_

Lilly could see Sayaka's expression and decided to give her some motivation. "You look great, Sayaka. It's perfect for you."

Yui nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, you look so cute."

Sayaka showed a small smile to her friends. "Thanks."

Yui and Lilly went into the stalls so they could each change into their swimsuits. Both girls soon emerged from the stalls, with each of them in their own one piece suits as well. Lilly's was a bright yellow color, while Yui's was a hot pink color.

With all of the girls finished changing, they emerged from the changing room, expecting to see Naoki and Tetsuya there. To their surprise, the two boys were already in the pool.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Naoki asked.

Lilly pouted at the two boys. "No fair! You guys got in before us!"

"You snooze, you lose." Tetsuya smirked. "Besides, this was the only way to keep Naoki distracted while you were all changing."

Yui looked at the other girls. "I'd say we're entitled to some revenge. What do you think, girls?" A collective nod came from all of them.

Naoki and Tetsuya looked at each other worriedly before turning back to the girls. "You're not thinking of-"

"CANNONBALL!" they all shouted as they jumped into the pool. A huge splash of water kicked up, blasting right into Naoki and Tetsuya. As the girls all popped up they shared a laugh at their the expense of their friends.

As the girls laughed, Naoki and Tetsuya looked at each other with the same smirk. It was time for some revenge of their own.

"If that's how you wanna play, then fine. Take this!" Naoki said as he sent a huge splash of water towards the girls.

Yui and the others all tried to shield themselves from Naoki's relentless water assault. It was clear that this was war. They all dived down underwater and split up, planning to flank Naoki from the sides. Unfortunately, this was just what the boys were hoping for.

Tetsuya and Naoki both lunged to the sides simultaneously, cutting off the girls' escape routes. The girls surfaced to try an attack, but they were assaulted with splashes of water the second they rose their heads out from underwater. They weren't planning on going down that easily however, as they fought back with splashes of their own. They were soon filled with laughter as they all enjoyed the water fight going on.

The war of splashes continued for some time before they all finally decided to take a rest. They were all laughing together as they swam around each other. It was moments like these that they all enjoyed the most.

"So what's up next for our pool day?" Lilly asked.

The group all thought to themselves of what pool activity they could do next. Out of nowhere, Strea snapped her fingers and shouted out her idea. "I've got it! Chicken fight extravaganza!"

"Chicken fight whatnow?" Rin asked.

"We go in teams of two for the chicken fight." Strea exclaimed. "The battles will pit one team against another, and then the last one battles the winner."

"But there's seven of us." Yui pointed out. "How can we do teams of two with an odd number?"

"Not to worry, sis! Mastermind Strea has it covered!" Strea said with a wide grin. "Sayaka will sit out until the final round, and in return she gets to be part of a special final event."

"Special event?" Sayaka asked.

"It's a secret. Trust me, you're gonna love it." Strea grinned.

"So what are the teams then?" Rin asked.

"Simple. There's the Kirigaya Cuties." Strea put her arm around Yui as if to further show they were going with that team name. She then pointed to Rin and Lilly. "Then we have the Hiryo Heroines." Lastly, she pointed over to Naoki and Tetsuya. "And lastly, the boys."

"... That's it? No cool team name for us?" Naoki asked.

"Fine. You can be called the Braindead Brutes." Strea said.

"..."

"What? You don't like it?"

Tetsuya sighed. "You know what, I think we'll just go with Boy Team."

Strea shrugged. "Alrighty then. Let's get this party started! First match is the Kirigaya Cuties vs the Boy Team."

The two teams positioned themselves and got ready. Strea and Tetsuya were on the bottom half for their teams, while Yui and Naoki were on top. Rin, Lilly, and Sayaka stayed a safe distance back and watched.

"Alright, let's get ready to rumble!" Strea cheered. She and Tetsuya leaned forward while their partners both tried to shove their opponent off. It was clear Naoki had the advantage in strength over Yui, but Strea kept her stance firm, not giving up any ground easily.

Naoki grinned as he could feel his team winning. "That's it Tetsuya! Advance the attack! Move forward!"

"Oh Naoki~!" Strea called down from bellow. The red haired teen looked down, curious as to what Strea wanted to tell him. But when he looked down the battle was all but lost. His mind was completely gone from the fight as all of his focus became fixated on Strea's chest that she was giving a subtle shake to.

Tetsuya widened his eyes in fear, realizing what Strea was doing. "Naoki I swear, don't you-"

"Now Yui! Deliver the final blow!"

Tetsuya cursed his luck as he felt Naoki give barely any resistance as Yui shoved him off, forcing both boys to fall underwater with a big splash. They brought their heads up to see Strea and Yui smiling at each other with a high five. Tetsuya glared as he looked at his teammate. "You, my perverted friend, are an idiot."

"Hey, it's not my fault! She cheated!" Naoki argued.

"I did no such thing." Strea said with a wave of her finger. "All's fair in love and war. I simply used the best strategy to defeat you."

Naoki and Tetsuya groaned at their loss and moved away as Rin and Lilly swam up. Lilly sat on Rin's shoulders as the Hiryo sisters got ready for their round.

"Match 2, Kirigaya Cuties vs Hiryo Heroines!" Strea announced as she and Yui got ready. "And… START!"

Yui and Lilly both began doing their best to shove the other off. Rin and Strea were both equally strong and managed to keep their stances firm as their sisters pushed back and forth. Lilly did her best to deal with Yui, but she could slowly feel herself losing the battle. If things stayed like this, she'd be pushed over and they would lose. An idea flashed in her head as she called down to Rin. "Fall back. I've got an idea."

Rin had no idea what was going through her sister's mind, but she trusted her and did as she was told, moving back a bit. Strea and Yui were not willing to let their opponents escape so easily and gave chase, heading straight for them. Little did they know, that was exactly what Lilly had planned for.

"Now Rin!" Lilly called out. "Sweep kick!"

Reading her sister's train of thought, Rin kneeled down slightly and swung her leg underwater at Strea, knocking her off balance slightly. Lilly took advantage of the moment that Yui and Strea were using to recover and shoved the black haired girl. Yui fell off and splashed into the water, dragging Strea down below with her.

Lilly brought down her hand and Rin high fived it. The two sisters cheered and celebrated their victory. Yui came up from underwater and sighed. "Darn it, we were so close."

Rin noticed Strea hadn't surfaced yet. She looked at the water surface and didn't see the girl's silhouette anywhere. "Hey, where's Strea?"

As if on cue, Strea surfaced directly under Sayaka, who let out a squeal of fright at suddenly being on the chestnut haired girl's shoulders. Strea grinned as she rushed towards Rin and Lilly. "Time for the surprise with Sayaka I mentioned! Here comes a new challenger!"

Rin and Lilly were caught off guard by the sudden attack. They quickly tried to prepare themselves, but it was already too late.

"Now Sayaka! Attack!" Strea exclaimed as she moved in close to Rin and Lilly.

"S-Strea! What are you doing?!" Sayaka shrieked as she waved her hands in front of her. Luckily, it had been enough to push Lilly off of Rin's shoulders due to the element of surprise. Both Hiryo sisters fell underwater, defeated.

"Aw yeah! Who's the baddest team around?!" Strea grinned. She looked up at her partner. "Great work Sayaka! You rocked it!"

"Th-Thanks." Sayaka said with a sigh of relief that it was all over. She quickly got off of Strea and back into the water. "Can you not do that again though? You scared me half to death."

Strea let out a giggle. "Okay, but you have to admit that was pretty fun."

As the day went on, the seven teens continued to enjoy their day of fun at the pool. They laughed and played for hours. While they did hang out in Alfheim often, it was harder to just sit around and have a fun time like this in the virtual world. That was why they treasured moments like these. Around noon, they all ate the lunches their parents had packed for them. Yui and Strea loved theirs especially, considering their mother was a master in the kitchen.

As it began to get later in the afternoon, and the sky began to turn orange, the group knew that was their cue to start heading home. Once everyone was changed back into their regular clothes, they all began to head to the train station. Sayaka's house was within walking distance, but she walked with her friends up until the train station.

"Man, today was a blast!" Naoki grinned. "We have got to do this again."

"Well summer did just start, so I'm sure we'll have a chance or two." Yui said.

"We should try going to the beach next time!" Rin suggested with a cheer.

"I'm down for that." Tetsuya nodded. "Although I've got to get training for that fencing competition happening in a few weeks. Think we can do it after that?"

"Oh, that's right! I forgot about that competition!" Lilly realized. "Good luck Tetsuya. We'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks. I'll be sure to do my best."

"How about we do this then." Yui suggested. "We'll all go to the beach a day or two after the competition, to celebrate Tetsuya's victory."

"Yeah! Great idea sis!" Strea said in agreement.

"Hang on, but what if I lose?" Tetsuya asked nervously. "There's gonna be tons of skilled fencers there."

"Well then, you better win." Rin told him with a teasing grin. "Otherwise, our beach day is ruined."

Tetsuya felt nervousness take over him, as his friends shared a laugh at his expense. He was soon laughing himself as well. "Speaking of tournaments, you and Naoki are gonna be in that ALO tournament tomorrow, right?"

"Yep! And I am so gonna win it!" Naoki grinned. "The super, awesome, amazing, invincible, etc Naoki will stand at the top."

"As if. Hope you don't mind second place, Naoki cause I'm winning this thing." Rin told him.

The two friends shot a rivalry glare at each other. Yui giggled as she watched the two of them. "Well anyway, we'll be rooting for both of you. Good luck."

The group soon arrived at the train station, where everyone got on their own respective trains to their home cities. Sayaka waved goodbye to her friends as they all began to leave. Each of them headed back home.

* * *

Rin and Lilly walked through the door to their house. "We're home!"

"Welcome back you two." Alicia said as she poked her head out into the hallway. "Did you have fun?"

"It was a blast." Rin said with a grin.

Alicia smiled at the two girls. "Good. You two better shower now. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."

The two girls nodded and headed upstairs. Rin got into the shower first, then Lilly's turn came once she was done. As the two girls came back downstairs, their mother had just finished setting the table. Dan was already at his seat and gave a welcoming smile to his two daughters. They all sat down together and began to eat.

"So how was the pool?" Dan asked.

"Other than Naoki being a pervert, it was a fun time." Lilly said.

"Seriously though, that guy can't spend one day without trying to get into a girl's pants." Rin complained. She looked at her parents. "Was Uncle Hyde that annoying when he was younger?"

Dan and Alicia looked at each other before breaking out into laughter at the question. Rin and Lilly looked at each other curiously before Rin looked back at her parents. "What? What did I say?"

"Oh Rin, let me tell you something." Dan said as he managed to calm his laughter. "You kids have it easy. Your Uncle Hyde was much worse than some simple pervert back in the day."

"Really? How bad was he?" Lilly asked.

Alicia shook her head. "I could go on for a long time about some of the things he pulled at your age. And the stories your Aunt Emi could tell you, oh boy."

Rin and Lilly could only wonder just how bad Naoki's dad must have been for their parents to view him in the odd light they did. What was even more strange to them though was how they still managed to be friends with someone with the personality they were describing.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter. Now that you've all had three chapters of introduction to the new cast, who are your favorites. Feel free to say which of the kids is your favorite in a review. It can be new ones, like Rin and Lilly, or ones you already know like Yui and Strea.**


	11. An Explosive Start

**A/N: Hey everybody. Only 2 more weeks until the long awaited Ordinal Scale movie! I hope you're all as excited as I am!**

 **Before I begin the chapter, there's something I need to inform you all of. Due to schoolwork and me needing to catch up on other fics, I am unfortunately going to have to change the update schedule for this fic from once a week to once every other week. To make up for it though, I plan on making the chapters for this fic longer than usual.**

Weekends were always quiet in the Hiryo home. Rin and Lilly had never been ones to cause a lot of noise, unless they were hanging out with their friends. But Rin was still asleep in bed and Lilly was currently on the couch reading a book. Dan was at work, but Alicia being the author she was had the luxury of working from home. It also made it convenient for the fact that she was able to make lunches for her daughters and herself at noon instead of preparing one for her whole family first thing in the morning.

Alicia was busy putting the final preparations on lunch as she looked over at her younger daughter. "Lilly, could you go wake Rin up for me?" she asked. "Tell her lunch is just about ready."

"Sure thing, mom." Lilly said as she closed her book. She gave a smirk towards her mother. "What would you do without me?"

"Easy there kiddo. Don't go getting too big an ego." Alicia giggled as she patted her daughter's head. "Don't want you turning into your Uncle Hyde."

Lilly giggled as well as she ran upstairs to her sister's room. She slowly opened the door and found her sister still fast asleep. Lilly rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at how her sister could switch between being energetic and lazy so easily.

Walking up to the bed, Lilly poked her sister's cheek. "Come on sis. Time to get up."

"Ugh… five more minutes…" Rin moaned as she turned her body around so her back was facing Lilly.

Lilly rolled her eyes. It seemed it was time to go with Plan B. "If you don't hurry and get ready, you'll miss the tournament. Wouldn't want Naoki mocking you for being late."

The mention of Naoki mocking her gave Rin enough motivation to pick herself up out of bed. She let out a yawn and stretched her arms. "Alright, I'm up, I'm up."

"Geez, I thought you'd be more excited for this." Lilly said.

"I am." Rin told her. "It's just… well I kinda kept thinking about the tournament last night and I couldn't get to sleep. The excitement kept me from falling asleep."

Lilly shook her head and sighed. "You are unbelievable sometimes." With Rin awake, Lilly walked out of the room. "Mom has lunch ready, so you better hurry."

"Got it." Rin said as Lilly closed the door. She quickly got dressed and freshened up before heading downstairs. Lunch was already out on the table and Lilly was digging in.

Alicia smiled at her daughter. "Morning sleepyhead. Someone sure was tired."

Rin rubbed the back of her head. "I was so busy thinking about the tournament today that I couldn't sleep."

Alicia's ears perked up at what her daughter said. "Tournament? That sounds fun."

"It's just this one day thing they're doing in ALO." Rin explained. "Nothing big, but I plan to win it nonetheless."

"Well good luck sweetie." Alicia told her. "Are you entering too Lilly?"

Lilly shook her head. "Nah, I'm not that good in one on one fights. I'll be there cheering her on instead."

Rin sat down and ate lunch with her sister. After finishing it rather quickly, Rin went back upstairs to log onto ALO since the tournament would be starting within the hour.

Lilly finished her lunch and brought her plate over to the sink. "So what are you doing today mom?"

"Oh nothing special." Alicia said. "I'll probably work a bit on my latest novel."

"Kay then. See you after the tournament." Lilly said as she went upstairs.

"Give your sister one more good luck from me." Alicia called out as she washed the dishes.

When the door to Lilly's room closed, Alicia quickly hurried up to finish the dishes, as well as the other few chores she had. Her original plan for the day did involve working on her novel like she had told Lilly. But that changed when she heard about the tournament her daughter's had mentioned.

Alicia walked upstairs and peered into both Rin and Lilly's rooms. In both instances, she saw her daughters wearing their Amu Spheres and already logged in. The black haired mother smiled to herself as she walked into her own room. She opened up her closet and searched around for something, finally finding it in the box she had left it in. Her old Amu Sphere from her teenage years.

It had been several years since Alicia had last gone into the virtual world. The last time she could recall was when she and Dan introduced Rin and Lilly to Yui in ALO back before she had gotten her human body.

' _Time sure does fly by quickly.'_ Alicia thought to herself as she brushed off the small bits of dust that had formed on the device. She hadn't thought about ever returning to Alfheim, or the virtual world at all for that matter, for any particular reason. But this would be a good chance for her to see how good of a fighter Rin had become. And considering how long it had been, she doubted her daughters would recognize her for her ALO avatar.

Alicia laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She uttered the familiar words that she hadn't uttered in so many years.

"Link Start!"

* * *

The cluster of islands on Floor 23 of was crowded with players gathered for the tournament. Since it was a rather small event, no formal stadium was being used. Instead, the multiple islands would serve as the battlefields for the first few rounds, with the large one in the center acting as the location for the final match.

"Alright, bring it on!" Rin grinned as she finished stretching. "Who's my first opponent?"

Lilly sighed as she stood next to her sister. "Take it easy sis. The first round hasn't even started. At least give them a chance to announce the pairings."

"Hehe, sorry. But I'm just so pumped! I haven't competed in a tournament in forever!" Rin scanned the area around them. "Now then, where's Naoki."

"I don't see him." Lilly said. "Maybe he's on another island."

"Probably flirting with a girl, knowing him."

As the two sisters chatted, up in the sky a female player soared through the air. It had been awhile, so her flying was rather sloppy, but Alice scanned the area for her two daughters. The large amount of players made it hard for her to tell though, so Alice decided she'd just have to wait until the matches started to find Rin. She descended onto one of the islands while wearing a cloak to hide her face. It had been a long time since Rin and Lilly had seen her ALO avatar, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Another few minutes passed before the call for the first rounds to begin sounded. A window popped up in front of each of the participants, telling them their opponent and directing them to the island they would be fighting on. For all of the spectators, they were able to bring up their menus to see a list of the matchups and which islands would host which matches.

Alicia walked over to the island Rin's fight was taking place at. She could see Lilly standing elsewhere in the crowd. But for now, her focus was mostly on Rin standing in the center for the island. Standing across from her was a female player of the Spriggan race. According to the match listings, Rin's opponent went by the name of Megumi.

Megumi seemed to be a fairly young player with short black hair. But what surprised Alice and all the other spectators was her build. She wore red and yellow robes with a black cape hanging behind her. Sitting atop her head was a pointed hat and her weapon was a long wooden staff with a red gem at one end. Everything about her seemed to scream out mage build. And in a tournament of one on one fights, mages were almost never seen, especially when their field to fight on was so small. Everyone seemed to wonder what this girl was thinking entering a tournament like this.

Alice however, knew better than that. She could tell by the look in this Megumi girl's eyes that she had some sort of plan. And if her VRMMO days had taught Alice anything, it was to never underestimate an opponent.

' _Be careful Rin. She's planning something.'_

Looking at her opponent, Rin could tell that she was more than she seemed. Letting her get off any spells would be dangerous. Rin couldn't afford to take her eyes off her or things could potentially get dangerous for her.

A timer appeared in the center of the island, counting down from ten seconds. Rin and Megumi both took their fighting stances as the last few seconds whittled down.

3… 2… 1… START!

The very second the duel started, Rin rushed forward. When most players looked at her, they imagined a muscle brained fool that put all of her skill points into her STR stat. But unbeknownst to most, she was also very light on her feet. Rin didn't like to focus everything on her strength, it left her too wide open. She was actually a lot faster than most hand to hand fighters in ALO because she also worked on her speed.

Megumi's eyes widened when she realized Rin was faster than she had originally expected. She quickly rolled to the side and avoided a powerful jab from the Salamander girl. Rin wasn't willing to let her opponent escape so easily however and quickly went after her, attacking with an axe kick which Megumi once again barely managed to dodge.

' _Thatta girl, Rin. Keep up the pressure.'_ Alice silently thought as she watched her daughter fight. Megumi was dodging most of Rin's blows, but at the same time, she didn't have any openings to attack. Rin wasn't giving her any opportunities. Alice still remembered back when Rin was younger when she taught her martial arts and self defense like she had used back in her teen years. It was nice to see that Rin had kept up with her practice and made it her fighting style.

"Go Rin! You can do it!" Alice cheered, quickly covering her mouth when she realized how loud she had made that outburst. Luckily, the cheers from the rest of the audience seemed to have muffled her out somewhat so Rin nor Lilly heard her voice.

Rin continued her relentless assault on Megumi, throwing punch after punch and kick after kick. Finally, Rin got a clean shot in as a punch from her hit Megumi right in the face and sent the mage tumbling across the ground. Rin sped in for another strike, but Megumi managed to surprise her as she used her staff to sweep under Rin's legs and make her fall over. As Rin landed on her back, Megumi jumped back to get some distance while beginning to chant a spell.

' _Shit!'_ Rin realized when she saw Megumi chanting her spell. She quickly sprang back to her feet and tried to stop Megumi from finishing her chant. But as she was just mere feet away, Rin knew it was too late.

"Be engulfed in my hellfire!" Megumi yelled out as she unleashed a spell that blasted Rin with an explosion right in front of her.

The crowd gasped as Rin was sent flying back from the blast. Megumi had been caught up in it too with them being so close to each other, but it was clear that it did little damage to her with her mage build. Rin flew back and felt her body slam into the invisible barrier that separated her and Megumi from the audience. Alice gasped as she watched her daughter slowly get to her feet. She had clearly taken a big hit from that spell.

"Damn. That was careless of me." Rin said as she cleaned some of the dirt off her face. "You're pretty good."

"I'm just getting started." Megumi said with a grin. She held out her staff and quickly began reciting another spell.

Rin knew she couldn't let another mess up happen again. She quickly charged at Megumi, desperate to stop her from unleashing another spell like the last one. If this turned into a long range fight, Rin would have no chance. She had to stop her now while she had an opportunity.

Suddenly, Rin felt her head begin to throb slightly. She lost her focus for a moment as she ran, hearing a voice inside her head.

" _Why…? Why you…?"_

Rin tried to shake the voice out of her head. Whatever was messing with her, she needed to keep her head in the game. But she had lost too much time with her short headache. Megumi grinned as she finished the last word of her incantation.

"You're finished."

Rin quickly brought her arms up to defend herself, but to her surprise she didn't feel any blast from Megumi's spell. Instead, a flurry of tiny red orbs flew out in front of Megumi and surrounded the area around Rin.

' _The hell? What are these things?'_ Rin wondered. She saw one of them float over near her and before she noticed it, it touched her body. The second it made contact, the red orb detonated and hit Rin with a small explosion. She was blasted back and felt herself fly into several more of the red orbs. ' _Crap.'_

Explosions engulfed Rin as she let out a cry of pain. The crowd gasped as they saw her HP plummet. When the smoke cleared, she was breathing heavily with her HP in the low yellow zone. The only reason it hadn't gone down any further was the fact that Salamanders had a slight resistance to fire damage, such as the explosions Megumi was using. At the same time that Rin saw her opponent from the settling smoke, Megumi finished another incantation of her spell and unleashed a second wave of her floating mines into the air. The polluted the air in every direction around Rin, trapping the Salamander girl where she stood.

"Ha! Not so easy to fight when your movements are so limited." Megumi said with a smirk. "One wrong move and you go kablooey, so why don't you just make the smart move and surrender?"

"Not gonna happen!" Rin barked back. "No way am I gonna give up just cause of a bunch of shiny specks of dust floating around."

Unfortunately for Rin, those shiny specks of dust were making this fight a lot harder for her. Megumi's spell had them littered around the battlefield and in the air too. She couldn't get in close to her opponent without detonating one of them and taking an explosion at point blank range.

The crowd watched intensely as the match went on. In the crowd of spectators, Alice watched the match with all of her focus on Rin. ' _Come on Rin. I know you can do it.'_

Megumi let out a yawn and stretched out her arms. "So are you just gonna stand there all day, or are you actually going to do something? Cause just so you know, those mines from my spell automatically detonate a minute after they're set."

Rin quickly tried to think of a way out of the predicament she was in. There wasn't much time left until the mines would detonate on their own and then she'd lose for sure. ' _Come on, damnit. Try and be clever like Lilly. How would she get out of this?'_ Nothing came to her mind though. Plans were not her forte, and she needed one to pull off a victory here. All out of options, Rin cracked a grin to herself. ' _Being brainy is Lilly's thing. I've got my own way of fighting.'_

"Alright, you wanted me to do something so here it is!" Rin said as she cracked her knuckles. She raised her fist into the air before slamming it into the ground with a devastating punch. The force of the impact created a dust cloud that spread out around her. The debris came into contact with the spell mines, detonating them all in a huge mass collection of explosions. The crowd gasped as Rin became engulfed by the explosions.

Megumi grinned as she watched her mines blast her opponent away. "I just love explosions. They have such beauty. You might even call them art itself." The girl turned around and walked away. "I hope you had fun enjoying my explosions up close and personal."

"If you wanna talk about art, then go to a museum! This is a fight!"

A gasp escaped Megumi as she turned around to see Rin charging at her. It was too late for her to do anything to defend herself, so Megumi was forced to take the uppercut Rin sent her way in full. ' _What?! How is she still standing?!'_

Rin could tell what Megumi was thinking. "I couldn't prevent your bombs from going off, so I decided to just try and minimize the damage." she explained. "That punch I used there was meant to blow your bombs away slightly so I could put as much distance between myself and them when they detonated. Everything after that was just betting on the chance that I'd survive." Rin spread her wings and took off into the air. "And now you don't have enough time to recast your spell!"

Megumi fell towards the ground with Rin flying up to meet her. Megumi quickly brought out her wings and tilted her body to the side, barely avoiding the punch that Rin threw at her. But just as she thought she was in the clear, Rin sent a swift spinning kick to her back that sent her crashing into the ground. As she sat up, she could already see Rin standing over her.

"Why don't you make the smart move and surrender?" Rin asked with a smirk.

Megumi had no way out and a hand to hand fight would end badly for her, so Megumi sighed and did the only thing she could do. "I resign!" At her command, a window popped up to confirm her request. The mage pressed 'Yes' and the match ended with Rin as the victor.

Cheers erupted from the players standing around. Alice in particular leaped into the air and did a fist pump. ' _Yes! That's my girl!'_

With the match over, players began to walk away and go watch the other matches that were still going on. Lilly ran up to her sister and hugged her.

"That was awesome Rin! I didn't know what to think for a second there when those mines were flying all around you." Lilly said.

"Honestly, my win was mostly luck there." Rin said as she rubbed the back of her head. "I barely had any HP left at the end there. If it wasn't for the Salamander race's resistance to fire damage, I doubt I would have won."

"Well you better win the rest of your fights." a voice said from across the island. Both girls looked over to see Megumi looking at them. "That was a good fight Rin. But now that you've beaten me, you better not go losing for the rest of this tournament."

Rin showed the Spriggan mage a thumbs up. "You got it Megumi. I'll win for both of us."

Megumi smiled as she nodded her head and flew off. "May we meet again someday."

Alice kept her distance as she watched her two daughters. She muttered quietly to herself. "I'm so proud of you Rin. You too Lilly. You're both the best girls your father and I could have asked for."

Over by the two sisters, Lilly looked at Rin. "By the way, what happened to you back there? You lost your focus for a few seconds. You almost looked like you were about to trip over."

Rin shook her head. "Honestly, I have no clue. I just got some weird headache, and I'm not sure but I could have sworn I heard a voice in my head for a moment."

"A voice?" Lilly questioned. "What did it say?"

"I can't really remember. It wasn't very clear." Rin said.

"Well let's just hope it doesn't happen again. If it does in the later rounds, you might not be able to make a comeback like you did this time."

Rin nodded and cracked her knuckles. "Don't worry. I'm gonna win this thing for sure. And no headache is gonna stop me."

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter. For those of you that didn't notice, Megumi's character was inspired by a character from another anime. Props to anyone who is able to tell who it is (Just gonna say this now, no it is not Deidara from Naruto Shippuden). To help you guys out, here are a couple of hints.**

 **1) What type of magic did Megumi use?**

 **2) Megumi's name is close to the name of the character she is based off of.**

 **Good luck. Hope some of you are able to figure it out. See you in two weeks readers!**


	12. An Unknown Hindrance

**A/N: Hello SAO fans! Saw Ordinal Scale today, and it was AWESOME! Everything about the movie was perfect, and I'm sure all of you that saw it will agree. Great action, deep story, and so much nostalgia! And to make things even better, here's the next chapter for Blazing Generations. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it.**

 **And for any of you that are wondering, yes I will be doing an Ordinal Scale fic in Lost Stories. It will be the next one after Papa Helios is over.**

The tournament continued on throughout the afternoon as Rin fought her way through match after match. Her light footwork made it easy for her to evade her opponent's attacks while going in for the attack at critical moments.

She didn't know what the headache in her first match had been about, but it hadn't returned since. She was too focused on winning right now to think about it.

"Go Rin!" Lilly cheered. "Finish 'em off!"

Rin sped at her current opponent, a male Gnome with a large axe grasped in his hands. Bulky players like this were good at one on one duels, since they could take a lot of damage and dish it back out. But luckily for Rin, she wouldn't be hit so easily.

"Die!" the player cried out as he swung his axe down. Rin smirked as she jumped back to avoid it. As the massive weapon smashed into the ground, Rin moved in and delivered a painful upwards kick to his jaw. He was sent flying into the air as he lost his grip on his weapon. Rin leaped up and got above the player, sending a powerful axe kick his way. The force of Rin's foot smashing into the Gnome's head sent him crashing down into the ground.

"You're finished!" Rin grinned as she dived down and swung her fist down at her opponent. The impact took out what was left of her opponent's HP and he burned away into a remain light.

The 'Winner' message appeared and the spectators cheered at Rin's victory. She giggled and made a victory pose to celebrate her win. Grom the crowd, Alice watched her daughter with a smile on her face. Rin really had been polishing her martial arts over the years. In some ways, she felt like she was looking at a younger version of herself.

' _Go for it Rin. You can win this.'_

"You did great, Rin!" Lilly cheered as she ran up to her sister. "The only fight left is the finals. Just one more win."

"Thanks, sis." Rin smiled. "All that's left is Naoki. Beating that sorry pervert shouldn't be too hard."

Lilly looked over in the distance and saw the player in question. "Speak of the devil." she said as she pointed to him. "Looks like he's coming over now."

Naoki landed on the island Rin and Lilly were standing on. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked at his two friends. "Hey guys…"

Rin grinned at the armored Salamander. "I hope you're ready to lose Naoki. I'm gonna wipe the floor with you."

"About that…" Naoki began. "I-"

"What, don't tell me you're quitting now?" Rin asked. "What, run into some pretty girl? Don't think I'm letting you off that easy."

"Would you just listen, Rin?! I can't fight you in the finals because I lost!"

Both Rin and Lilly's eyes widened as they heard this. Granted, they teased Naoki every now and then about getting distracted by girls most of the time, but they knew that his fighting skills weren't to be underestimated. His skills were first class, not matched by many outside of their group.

"You lost? Like seriously lost?" Lilly asked. "Did your opponent have a pretty face or something and you got distracted?"

Naoki shook his head. "No, and for your information my opponent was a guy." The two sisters saw Naoki's body shake. "That guy… his skills were unreal. He came at me so fast, I couldn't even keep up. The only person I've ever seen that skilled with a sword is Yui."

"Seriously?" Rin gasped. Yui had built a reputation for herself as one of ALO's top players. There weren't many that could top her skill with a blade. Her mentor had been the legendary Black Swordsman of SAO himself after all.

Suddenly, a window popped up in front of Rin, showing her the next match, which was the finals. Her opponent was listed as a player named Shade. "Shade… can't say I've heard of him." Rin said. She turned to her sister. "What about you, Lilly?"

The Cait Sith shook her head. "No, never heard of him. Maybe he's just not the type to compete in tournaments often."

"Maybe…" Rin said. She closed the window. "Well, overthinking it won't do me any good. Guess I'm just gonna have to go out there and see how good he is myself."

"Just be careful, Rin." Naoki warned. "He's good. Like really good."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Rin nodded. "I'll get revenge for you and win this thing, don't you worry."

The trio of friends all brought out their wings and flew towards the island where the final match was taking place. It was the centermost island out of the cluster, and the one with the largest field. Apparently this was a special sight, one where one of ALO's top players had died while logged on. If Rin remembered correctly, it was a girl named Yukki, or something like that.

As they landed, Rin took her spot on the field while Lilly and Naoki stood back with the crowd to watch how the match unfolded.

"It's now time for the final round." the player acting as the announcer said. "Our final two players are the fiery Salamander, Rin and the mysterious Spriggan, Shade."

Standing across from Rin was her opponent. She took the opportunity to get a good look at him. His main article of clothing seemed to be a black samurai-style robe, which was covered by metal pads on his shoulders, elbows, and knees. On his feet were a pair of sandals. He had messy jet-black hair and deep black eyes. The lower half of his face was covered by a cloth mask, similar to that of a ninja. Sheathed at his waist was a long katana.

' _I can't let my guard down.'_ Rin reminded herself. ' _This guy was skilled enough to beat Naoki. I'm gonna have to give this fight everything I've got.'_

"Now then, let the final match begin!" the announcer said as they flew away from the island to give the players room. A countdown timer appeared in the center, counting down from ten.

Shade unsheathed his katana and took his stance. "May it be a good battle."

Rin took her own stance as well. She could clearly see her opponent's skill by how composed he seemed, as well as the flawless stance he had. "Likewise."

The timer hit zero and the two players sped at each other simultaneously. Shade went in for the first strike as he thrust his katana forward with perfect precision. Rin was surprised by his speed and managed to tilt her head out of the way just in time, jumping to the side to distance herself from him. She breathed heavily as she slowly realized how close she came to losing from that one strike.

' _Damn. He is good.'_ Rin thought to herself. ' _But I can't go down that easily.'_

Rin brought out her wings and used them to charge at her opponent. Shade gripped his katana and waited to meet Rin's attack. Once she was close enough, he swung his blade horizontally in an attempt to cut her in half. But Rin saw this coming and used her wings to get above him. She sent a powerful kick at him, but Shade quickly moved his arm up to block it. The force of Rin's kick forced him to fall down to one knee, but he was able to endure it and avoid a direct hit.

"I'm not done yet!" Rin yelled as she spun her body and sent a kick at his side. The kick connected and sent Shade flying to the side.

Shade's feet skidded across the ground as he got back into his stance. "You're not bad."

"Neither are you." Rin grinned. "But I won't lose."

The two players sped at each other again. Rin swung her fist at Shade, but he quickly ducked under it, moving in towards her exposed stomach. Rin quickly tried to move out of the way as he slashed his sword at her. She managed to avoid getting sliced in half, but a long red gash could be seen where the blade had cut. Rin kicked off the ground and came at him again. She got a punch in, but at the same time Shade's katana managed to stab her in the shoulder. Both players leaped back to distance themselves and catch their breath.

"Hang in there Rin! You got this!" Lilly cheered.

From her spot in the crowd of spectators, Alice clasped her hands together. She whispered quietly to herself. "Come on Rin. You can do this. I know you can."

Rin quickly tried to think of what to do. Shade was a tricky opponent. His skill with a blade was well-disciplined and refined. And that long reach his katana had posed a problem as well.

Suddenly, Rin felt her head begin to ache again. She winced in pain, but quickly tried to shake it away. ' _No. Not this time.'_ she told herself. She quickly managed to banish the headache as the pain dulled. ' _Alright, just calm down and think. I'm at a disadvantage on the ground.'_ Rin silently thought. ' _If I can keep him from holding a clean stance, I can break his guard.'_ She brought out her wings and took off into the air. "Hey, why don't we take this battle to the sky, next?"

Shade stood still for a few moments, but he soon brought out his wings and ascended as well. "Very well. I'll accept your proposal."

The crowd all watched as Rin and Shade hovered in the air above them, right around the height of the tree.

"Here I come!" Rin said as she sped at him. Shade quickly slashed at her, but Rin flew over him, dodging the blade with ease. She turned around and sent a punch towards Shade, but to her surprise, his blade blocked the attack as her fist collided with it. It seemed his original slash had been a feint, merely to get her to lower her guard. Rin tried to pushed forward with her gauntlet, but Shade wasn't backing down and the flat part of his katana was holding her back.

Rin reeled her fist back to strike her opponent while his weapon was occupied. Out of nowhere though, Shade suddenly moved his katana in a quick motion that broke Rin's stance and threw her off balance. Shade's katana lit up with a sword skill as he slashed at Rin's avatar. She was sent flying back, directly into the leafage of the large tree on the island.

As Rin regained her bearings, Shade quickly emerged through the leaves and swung his katana down at her. Rin brought up her gauntlets to defend herself, the metal blade clashing against them. She pushed back and quickly leaped back, but Shade gave chase. Rin now found herself dancing on the thick branches as she dodged slash after slash, but just barely. As she leaped away from yet another slash, she felt her back hit against the trunk of the tree. Shade went in for a strike at her. Realizing she was out of options, Rin went in for one last strike of her own. She ducked and kept her body low as she readied her fist for a powerful blow. She swung it towards Shade's stomach, with the intention of sending him flying with this one blow.

Suddenly, Rin felt her headache come back to her. The female Salamander tried to force it away as she swung her fist. But this time, it was stronger. She felt her vision grow hazy as a voice was heard in her head.

" _Why you… Why does she love you? What about me?"_

Rin quickly tried to shake the dizziness from her head, but it was too late. Her fist connected only with the air as she missed slightly. She cursed her luck as she saw the emerald green light of her opponent's blade in the corner of her eye.

Shade's blade slashed Rin's avatar and sent her falling down to the ground. As she fell, Shade came diving down at her, impaling her with his blade. Rin's HP hit zero and her avatar burned away into a remain light as Shade's blade stabbed into the ground.

"And the winner of the tournament is Shade!" the announcer declared. "Let's give a big round of applause to our big winner."

The crowd cheered for the victor of the tournament. Lilly and Naoki frowned at Rin's loss, knowing she had worked so hard to fight her way here. Alice also felt bad for her daughter, knowing all too well the disappointment of losing.

Rin was automatically revived by the system. As she returned, she saw Shade sheathing his blade and looking down at her. "You lost your concentration in that last moment. That isn't the trait of a true warrior." He brought out his wings and took off. "I had hoped for a bit better."

Rin grit her teeth as Shade flew away. As much as she hated to admit it though, he was right. The lack of focus with her last attack had cost her the match. But it wasn't like she was able to help it. ' _Damnit! If it wasn't for that stupid headache and that damn voice!'_

The crowd began to disperse with the tournament over. Alice also disappeared, not wanting to be spotted by the kids. She flew off and left them be.

Lilly walked up to her sister. She could see that Rin was not in a pleasant mood based on her attitude. "Rin, are you ok?"

"Yeah." Rin sighed. "I just need some time alone." She got to her feet and walked off.

Lilly called out to her sister. "If you want, we can-"

"Just leave me alone." Rin said, cutting her sister off.

Lilly frowned as she watched her sister walk away. Naoki came up and put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine. Give her some time and she'll be back to her usual bullheaded self."

"Yeah, I suppose." Lilly sighed.

Naoki grinned to himself. "Alright then. Now that that's out of the way, how about we-"

"No."

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say!"

"I have a pretty good idea." Lilly said as she flapped her wings and flew off.

Naoki was left all alone as he sighed to himself and sulked. "Man, I just can't win today."

* * *

Rin stormed through the town of Floor 23 with a scowl on her face. It was clear to any of the players that looked her way that the female Salamander was clearly not in a good mood, so they kept their distance from her. If it was possible, Rin's ears would be fuming right now.

' _Ugh, stupid headache! Stupid voice! ARGH!'_ Rin still couldn't believe that such a slip up had caused her to lose. ' _And that pompous jerk Shade! Who does he think he is?! It's not like I wanted to lose my concentration there!'_

Rin came up to a terrace in the town and looked out at the horizon. The calming blue ocean waves stretched out for miles. Seeing them managed to calm Rin down a little.

' _It's not like I can blame Shade for what he said. I did lose my concentration. I just wish I knew why.'_ Rin thought to herself. ' _Why did I get those headaches? And what was with that weird voice I heard? I don't understand what's going on.'_

Suddenly, Rin felt the familiar pain come to her head again. But this time it was much stronger. Rin brought her hands to her throbbing head and held it in pain as she fell to her knees. ' _Damnit… What's… happening…?'_

Slowly, Rin's vision became foggy as her consciousness slowly slipped away. She collapsed onto the ground, completely knocked out.

When Rin felt her consciousness come back to her, she found herself in an empty space filled with nothing but white. It seemed to stretch out for miles. She floated in the empty space with nothing else around her.

"Great, now where am I?" Rin asked herself. "What the hell is going on?"

"I believe I can answer that."

Rin turned her head towards the voice she heard and watched as a man descended from above. He had short hair and wore a lab coat over a simple shirt and necktie. The contours on his face were sharp, especially his metallic eyes. From what Rin could tell, he seemed to be around thirty, perhaps a little younger.

"Who are you?" Rin asked, fully on guard at the arrival of this new stranger.

"Who I am is not important." the man said.

"Alright then. Are you the one causing my headaches?" Rin asked.

"And what if I am?"

Rin brought her fists up in response. "Then I have some payback that's due."

To Rin's surprise, the man showed an amused smirk at her. "There's no doubt, you're definitely her daughter. The similarities are almost uncanny."

"Answer the question." Rin said. "Are you the one causing my headaches or not?"

"Hmm… I suppose the answer to that question is a little bit of yes and a little bit of no." he explained. "I haven't been the cause of the past headaches you've been experiencing, but I am the cause of the one you had just now. The headaches you experience are the result of your avatar being hacked."

"Hacked?" Rin questioned. "You mean you hacked my avatar? And someone else has been hacking it too?"

"That's correct." he nodded. "I apologize for the intrusion. I felt you and I should speak directly. It seemed much more efficient in the long run."

"And why do I need to speak with you? I don't even know you." Rin said.

"Correct. This is the first time we've met." the man said. "You see, I have a message I want you to deliver to your mother."

"My mother?" Rin asked. "How do you know who my mom is? And why should I trust you?"

"How I know her is not important right now." he answered. "And as for why you should trust me, I'm the only person that knows the cause of your headaches."

"Then tell me." Rin said.

"All in due time. For now, you should deliver the message I'm about to tell you."

Rin couldn't tell whether she could fully trust this stranger. The fact that she knew who her mother was meant he knew her identity IRL, and that was concerning in of itself. But if this person could help her find the cause of her headaches, she didn't have much choice.

"Fine. What's the message."

* * *

Alicia stood in the kitchen of her house as she prepared dinner. Seeing as how Rin would be down in the dumps most likely after her loss in the finals, Alicia was making a favorite of hers to try and bring her spirits up.

Flipping through her book of recipes, some of which were given to her by Asuna, Alicia wondered what was really to blame for her family enjoying her cooking. Was it her cooking, or Asuna's recipes. Alicia liked to think it was a little of both. Asuna had helped train her a bit in the kitchen back when they were younger. She was nowhere near as good as the legendary Lightning Flash in the kitchen, but she had picked up a thing or two during the few lessons they had.

As Alicia flipped through the recipes, Rin walked into the kitchen. "Mom, do you have a minute?"

"Of course sweetie. What do you need?" Alicia asked, expecting to hear something related to the tournament today.

"Well… how do I put this…" Rin rubbed the back of her head, wondering how to explain what had just occurred to her mother. "There's this guy in a VRMMO I play that asked me to give a message to you."

Alicia narrowed her eyes. She couldn't recall many male players she knew from her childhood that still played VR games often. In fact, nearly all the male players she knew in ALO were ones that she knew IRL, meaning they could contact her a lot easier than giving a message to Rin to pass onto her. So who would know Rin's identity IRL and her connection to Alicia. "What was the message?"

"It was just one word, but he told me you'd know what to do when I told you."

Now it was getting even more suspicious. Alicia turned another page in her cookbook. "And that word is?"

"Heathcliff."

Alicia froze as the cookbook she was holding fell out of her hands and onto the floor. Her body trembled slightly as her eyes widened in shock.

Rin stared at her mother, wondering what had her so on edge. "Mom? Is everything alright?"

Alicia picked up the cookbook and placed it on the counter. "Rin, where is Lilly right now?"

"Lilly? I think she's still on ALO so-"

Alicia quickly rushed upstairs, running past Rin in the process. The mother entered Lilly's room and found her youngest daughter still diving with her Amu Sphere on. Alicia grabbed the cord of the device and yanked it out of the wall, something she had never done before.

Within seconds, Lilly woke up. She felt slightly dizzy as she sat up, but that was to be expected from a sudden disconnection. "Ugh, what happened?"

"Lilly, are you alright?" Alicia asked as she sat on the bed and looked at her daughter worriedly.

"Yeah, I think so." Lilly said. She looked at the cord in her mother's hands. "Mom?! Why did you-"

"I'll explain later." Alicia said.

"Mom? What's going on?" Rin asked as she walked into the room.

Alicia got up from her bed and looked at both her daughters with a serious expression. "Listen to me, both of you. I don't want either of you using your Amu Spheres until I say so. I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Rin asked.

"I need to go on ALO for a bit."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at her mother. "Do you even still have an ALO account?"

"Just promise me neither of you will use your Amu Spheres."

"But-"

"Promise. Me."

Rin and Lilly looked at each other. Neither of them had seen their mother this serious before in all their life. They didn't know what was going on, but it was clear their mother did. "Alright, we promise."

"Good. If your father gets home before I log off, tell him exactly what you told me Rin."

Rin and Lilly watched as their mother walked to her room. Whatever was going on, it was clear it had her terrified.

Alicia entered her room and opened her closet, grabbing the Amu Sphere she had just put away. She had used it to secretly watch Rin compete in the tournament, but Alicia had never thought she'd be using it for something this serious again.

She had also never been that terrified as a mother before. She knew it was far fetched with the safety precautions of the Amu Sphere, but when she saw Lilly hooked up to the Amu Sphere laying on her bed, she was scared for a second she wouldn't wake up.

For the first time in her life, she fully understood how her parents must have felt when she and her sister were trapped in SAO.

Alicia hooked up the device and fit it over her head as she laid down on her bed. She closed her eyes and entered the virtual world.

"Link Start!"

* * *

Alicia opened her eyes and found herself on the bed of her player home, the place she had logged out from. She got up off the bed and called out to the seemingly empty bedroom. "Alright Kayaba! Come out here! You have some explaining to do!"

"Nice to see you too, Alice." a voice sounded behind her. The female Imp turned around to face a man in a lab coat. The face was that of the person that had trapped ten thousand people in his sick death game. "I see you got the message from your daughter. She really does remind me of you."

Almost immediately, Alice lunged at Kayaba in an attempt to grip his throat, but her avatar phased right through him. Of course Kayaba would make it so she couldn't touch him. Her clenched fists tightened, which received an amused smirk from Kayaba.

"It seems you haven't lost your reputation as the Berserker Lotus." Kayaba said.

"Start talking." Alice glared. "What do you want with Rin?"

"You have nothing to worry about Alice. I simply hacked her account to get you to come, nothing more."

"And why after all these years do you wanna talk? Feeling lonely?"

"Once Ren arrives, I'll explain everything." Kayaba told her. "Speaking of which, I suppose congratulations are an order for the wedding as well as your two daughters. It may be a little late, but it's the thought that counts right?"

"You're going to tell me everything. Now." Alice said in a stern voice. "If you don't, then I'm leaving."

"Feel free to try."

A sudden feeling of dread overtook Alice as she opened up her menu. She pressed her finger on the logout button, but nothing happened. She tried it again and again, ending up with the same result. She shot a glare at Kayaba.

"Don't worry. Once Ren arrives and I explain everything, you will both be free to logout." Kayaba explained. "Although I do feel you'll be interested in what I have to tell you." With that, Kayaba evaporated like a cloud of smoke and disappeared. "I've set it so you won't be able to exit this house. Feel free to walk around and reminisce about old times."

Alice gritted her teeth before letting out a sigh. Kayaba had clearly improved his hacking skills over the years. Having no other option, she decided to walk around the house. It would be another hour before Dan would be home from work and Rin would tell him what she had told her so it gave her plenty of time to look back on old memories.

Alice walked into the living room of the house. It had been years since she or Ren had last logged on and been in the home they shared in Alfheim. She could tell that the game makers had put in a feature to show neglect because she could see cobwebs all over the place.

' _This is the place the two of us shared for so long.'_ Alice thought to herself. She walked over to the pictures standing on the countertop nearby. One in particular caught her eye as she picked it up and brushed the dust off of it. ' _No. Not the two of us. The three of us.'_

The picture brought back old memories for Alice. It showed her and Ren together outside their house. But there was one more with them. A little girl with violet hair. Her and Ren's first daughter. Luna.

Rin and Lilly knew nothing of Luna. It was one of the few stories Alice never spoke of to them. It was just too painful for her to remember.

' _How I wish you could be a part of our family again, Luna.'_ Alice thought to herself. ' _I miss you so much. Even now.'_

Alice looked at several other pictures around the house. There were plenty of her and Ren. A few were of her friends. There was one of the entire Wyvern's Inferno guild together. Where had the time gone?

Looking around the house, Alice couldn't help but be bothered by the state of it. She decided to go around and do some cleaning. This place had been like a second home to her. It was only fair that she do what she could to take proper care of it. She went to each of the cobwebs she could find and got rid of them. It was fairly simple, to the point that she wished cleaning her house IRL was this easy.

Cleaning and reminiscing took longer than Alice had thought because it felt like barely any time at all had passed before she heard a familiar voice come from the bedroom. "Alice?! Alice, are you here?!"

"I'm in here, Ren." Alice called out.

Ren quickly rushed from the bedroom and into the living room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she was unharmed. "Thank goodness. I was so worried about you. Rin told me what happened, and that you hadn't logged out, and-"

"Ren. I'm fine." Alice assured him, giving him a peck on the cheek. She called out into the open air. "Alright Kayaba. You said you'd explain everything once Ren arrived. Now tell us what's going on."

"Indeed." Kayaba said as he materialized in the house. His gaze turned towards Ren. "Hello, Crimson Flash. It's been awhile since we last spoke."

"Kayaba." Ren glared. "What do you want now? After all these years?"

In response, Kayaba snapped his fingers. In an instant, Ren and Alice found their location change. They were in a dark space, with nothing else around them. The only thing with them was Kayaba himself.

"First, let's take a trip down memory lane." Kayaba said. "I'm sure you remember this moment, roughly twenty years ago."

Before Ren or Alice could say anything, the dark empty space around them was filled. They now found themselves in the capital city of Arun. But it was different. The sky was dark. Several buildings around them were damaged or destroyed.

Ren's eyes widened when he realized what time this was. "No… this is…"

"Luna!" a voice suddenly shouted. "Luna, please! You can't go! I'm begging you!"

Ren and Alice both quickly ran towards the voice that they both recognized. As they turned a corner, they found it. A moment in their lives that had been etched into their memories. Alice, or rather her past self, was holding Luna in her arms as the young girl was dematerializing.

"It's alright Mama." Luna said weakly. "Everyone's safe. This world is safe. That's all that matters."

"Luna… Don't leave me… I need you..."

"You have Papa. He makes you happy."

"But you make me happy too!" Alice cried. "Luna… you're our child… How could we possibly live without you?"

Ren, the real Ren, clenched his fists as he was forced to remember this. "Kayaba… why are you showing us this?"

"Let it finish." Kayaba told them.

Ren and Alice were forced to watch as Luna slowly disintegrated into light. Tears formed in Alice's eyes as she averted her gaze, not wanting to live through this hell all over again. She finally knew it was all over when she heard her familiar cry after Luna was finally gone.

"LUNA!"

Alice cried as she fell to her knees, having to remember one of the worst moments in her life. Their past selves vanished, as well as the other phantoms of the past, leaving them all alone in the empty destroyed city.

"Quite the heartbreaking moment, isn't it?" Kayaba said, not showing even the slightest bit of emotion.

"Kayaba." Alice growled as her body shook with rage. "Why did you show us this? Why did you make us live through that hell all over again."

"I figured it would be the best place to start. After all, what I have to tell you pertains to this." Kayaba said as he walked in front of them before turning his head back towards the couple.

"Luna is alive."

 **A/N: So... that was a cliffhanger, huh? Luckily you all won't have to wait two weeks this time. Since it's Spring Break this week, I should be able to get the chapter out within a week this time.**


	13. She's Alive

**A/N: Hello readers. As promised, here's the new chapter. Sadly, from her until summer break starts for me, I will have to go back to the once every other week update schedule.**

 **Also, I have been playing the new mobile game SAO: Memory Defrag, and it is good! I go under the name Ren (Yeah, go figure) and hopefully I'll run into some of you guys that are playing it in the game, or maybe I already have.**

 **But enough about that. I'm sure you're all excited to continue with the story after the ending for last chapter. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here it is.**

" _Kayaba." Alice growled as her body shook with rage. "Why did you show us this? Why did you make us live through that hell all over again."_

" _I figured it would be the best place to start. After all, what I have to tell you pertains to this." Kayaba said as he walked in front of them before turning his head back towards the couple._

" _Luna is alive."_

As a writer, there were many times that Alice found herself searching for the right words to use. The right description. The right name. But this was a different sensation altogether. For the first time, Alice felt that there wasn't an appropriate word to describe what she was feeling right now. Every word she thought of seemed too weak.

"She's… alive?" Alice asked. "Luna is alive?"

Kayaba nodded his head. "That's correct. The AI program known as Luna is indeed alive."

"How do you know this?" Ren asked. "And why have you waited this long to tell us this?"

Kayaba stared up at the sky. "That's difficult to explain. Where to start?" Kayaba thought to himself. "Well first, why don't we get out of this depressing scenery? It's far too dreary for my taste." With a snap of his fingers, the group of three found themselves once again in the home Ren and Alice owned in Alfheim. Kayaba walked over to the table in the room and took a seat.

"When Luna self-deleted herself, I managed to gather the bits and pieces that had been her data. Most of them anyway." Kayaba explained. "I then spent the next year or so working on putting her data back together, in an attempt to recreate the entity that had been Luna. It wasn't easy, considering the damage she had done to herself by self-deleting."

"Why would you do that?" Ren asked. "You're not the type of guy to do something out of the goodness of his heart. You must have had an ulterior motive."

"To be frank, I did it to kill time and entertain myself." Kayaba said. "When you literally exist in the internet, you'd be surprised how quickly one gets bored. You can only play Candy Crush or Bejeweled so many times before you know the game so well that you always know what will appear next." The scientist shook his head. "In all honesty, I could probably fight Illfang and play Bejeweled simultaneously at this point."

"Alright then. Let's assume that's true for now." Ren said. "Why did you wait this long to tell us. You said it only took you a year or two to repair the damage Luna had done to herself. Surely you must have had some way to contact us before now."

"True, I could have." Kayaba noded. "But tell me, what would you have done with that information? Could you have brought her into the real world had I told you twenty years ago?"

Ren lowered his head, knowing the answer. "No."

"Precisely. In fact, you've only recently acquired the technology available to give an AI human life. And you're still a bit of a ways away from finishing the second body, despite the fact that it's been several years since you implanted Yui's consciousness into a human body."

"How do you-"

"Please. Bypassing RECT's firewalls without being detected is child's play for me." Kayaba said. "In any case, seeing as how it would take some time before a body would be ready for Luna, I put her into a stasis state. She's been in what you can consider a sleeping state all this time. Or at least, that was what I thought."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"This is the part where things get tricky." Kayaba explained. "It seems a small part of Luna's consciousness has been active all this time. As a result of being left alone for several years, it has caused Luna to be somewhat emotionally unstable. It only makes sense, considering what isolation can do to a person's mind after too long."

Alice gasped as she realized what Kayaba was telling them. "Then… that means…"

"Yes." Kayaba nodded. "Luna, or at least a small part of her, has spent the last twenty years or so awake and aware, all alone."

"And you just realized this now?!" Alice yelled. "I thought you were supposed to be a genius! How could you not notice she was awake for twenty years!"

"It was an error on my part, albeit a big one at this point." Kayaba admitted. "Although considering what would have happened had I not intervened at all, a little thank you would be nice."

Alice was about to lunge at Kayaba, but she held herself back. She hated him right now for not seeming to care about the loneliness and suffering Luna must have gone through. But at the same time, she couldn't deny that it was because of him that Luna was alive at all right now.

"Can't you just wake Luna up?" Ren asked. "All things considered, it would be better than her continuing to be alone. Even if a body wouldn't be ready for her yet, there are ways to keep her around until it is ready."

"That's problematic." Kayaba said. "True, waking her up would be better for her mental state rather than leaving her alone. But with everything that's happened, doing it forcefully could send her into a state of shock. There's no telling how severe or not the repercussions to her mental state would be if that happened. Especially after today."

"Today?" Alice asked.

Kayaba nodded. "Tell me Alice, what did you do today?"

"Me? Well, I-"

"You logged into ALO, and cheered in secret for Rin at her tournament. Did you notice anything odd happen to her during that time?"

Alice thought to herself for a moment, before finally realizing something. "Yeah, she seemed to lose her focus momentarily a few times."

Kayaba nodded his head. "The 'lack of focus' was due to headaches she was getting. All of which were caused by Luna."

"Luna? But why would she do that?" Alice asked.

"Try and put yourself in Luna's shoes for a moment." Kayaba explained. "Her mother, who she hasn't seen in over twenty years, suddenly logs on. She takes notice and sees her mother treating someone else like her daughter."

"What? But how would she know Rin is…" Alice trailed off as she remembered something she said, although it was to herself, during the tournament.

" _I'm so proud of you Rin. You too Lilly. You're both the best girls your father and I could have asked for."_

Alice covered her gasp with her hands. "Then… Luna thinks that we replaced her with Rin and Lilly?" Alice shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes. "No... We never… Luna…"

"Regardless of what you meant to or didn't mean to do, the fact is that Luna feels that you replaced her with your current daughters, mostly Rin since that was who you were cheering for the whole time." Kayaba explained. "It was probably subconscious, but Luna seems to have become jealous of Rin. As a result, she subconsciously tried to hack her avatar which resulted in the headaches she got during her fights."

"Then we need to find a way to wake Luna up so we can bring her to her senses." Ren said. "But you said doing that could send her into a state of shock."

"I said doing it _forcefully_ could send her into a state of shock." Kayaba corrected. "I would suggest trying to get Luna to wake up completely of her own accord. Something to trigger her enough emotionally."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Ren asked.

"You already have the perfect catalyst. Two to be in fact."

"Two?" Ren questioned. His eyes slowly widened as he realized what Kayaba was suggesting. "You want us to use Rin and Lilly as bait?!"

"Can you think of a better way to get Luna's emotions to go out of control enough to wake her up?"

"Absolutely not! How can you even suggest that?!" Ren shouted. "I won't treat my two girls like they're bait dangling on a fishhook!"

"Then what would you suggest?" Kayaba asked. "You could try waking Luna by force. But are you prepared to risk what could happen to her as a result?"

Ren and Alice stood there, not having any real answer. They really didn't have any good options. They could use Rin and Lilly to try and trigger Luna awake, but that could mean exposing them to danger. At the same time, they didn't want to risk Luna's safety on a gamble.

Finally Alice looked directly at Kayaba. "What kind of danger would Rin and Lilly be in if we used them to try and wake Luna up?"

"Relatively little. For their physical bodies, hardly any at all." Kayaba explained. "As I'm sure you're aware, the Amu Sphere has several safety functions to protect the user, many of which have been improved over the years. As a result, the user would be logged out immediately if there was any threat towards the user. At worst, they could wake up with a small temporary migraine if their avatars were hacked deeply enough."

Alice nodded before turning her gaze to Ren. "Ren... we should tell them."

"Them?"

"Rin and Lilly." Alice said. "It may not be through blood or anything, but Luna is still their sister. We should talk with them and see what they want to do."

"But-"

"I'm not open to the idea of putting them in any danger any more than you are." Alice said. "But they're both old enough to decide for themselves. And Luna is their family too."

Ren couldn't deny what his wife was saying. He sighed and nodded his head reluctantly. "Alright. We'll tell them."

"I see you've decided." Kayaba said. "Very well then. I'll allow you both to logout then. I'll await your return."

Ren and Alice nodded their heads as they both opened their menus. As she opened hers, Alice looked at the man that had caused all of this. "Kayaba, let me make this clear. I have no intention of forgiving you for the nonchalant attitude you've shown towards Luna's suffering. But… thank you for saving her. I'm truly grateful for that."

"There's no need." Kayaba told her. "Like I said, I simply did it to keep myself entertained."

Ren and Alice both hit the logout button on their menus. They simultaneously disappeared in a flash of light as their vision went white.

* * *

Dan and Alicia both woke up on their bed back in their house in the real world. The two of them removed their Amu Spheres from their heads. The couple looked at each other, knowing what they had to do now.

As they walked downstairs, Dan and Alicia found Rin and Lilly sitting together on the couch in the living room. When they saw both of their parents, the girls quickly rushed over to them.

"Mom! Dad! You're back!" Lilly exclaimed as she hugged them.

Rin went in and hugged her parents as well. "We didn't know if you were coming back!"

Alicia smiled as she gently comforted her two daughters. "We're sorry for worrying you two. We just had some business to take care of in the virtual world."

"What kind of business?" Rin asked. "Why did you both seem so scared from that message?"

Dan sighed as he kneeled down to look at the two of them. "It's a long story. But right now, there's something the two of us need to tell you."

After sitting Rin and Lilly down, Dan and Alicia explained everything to them. Who the man that Rin had seen was. Luna's origins, as well as what happened to her. Everything that was going on now. As the story went on, Rin and Lilly understandably found it harder and harder to fathom. To hear that they both had a sister that they never knew about until this moment? Needless to say, it was surprising to say the least. Then came the hardest part for Dan and Alicia. Having to give them a choice as to what they wanted to do.

They were surprised how quickly they got an answer.

"I want to help." Lilly said.

Alicia blinked her eyes in surprise. "Lilly? Are you sure?"

"Well… I admit that it's shocking to hear about suddenly having a sister I never knew about." Lilly said. "But Yui and Strea aren't related by blood either and they act even more like sisters than most sibblings I've seen." She lowered her head. "And besides… when I think about Luna being all alone like that, I can't help but want to do something. And if we have the best chance at waking her up safely, then I'll do whatever I can."

Her father nodded his head understandably. He turned to his other daughter. "And what about you Rin? What do you want to do?"

Rin thought to herself for a bit in silence. After a few moments, she decided on her answer. "I'll help. If I can do something to wake this Luna person up then I'll do it."

Alicia smiled as she leaned in and hugged both her daughters. "I'm proud of you two, you know that? You're both so strong. So brave. I'm proud to be your mother."

Rin and Lilly both blushed as their mother hugged them. "Mom, come on that's embarrassing!" Lilly complained.

"Sorry, sorry." Alicia said as she separated herself. "But I'm happy you both want to help. It takes a lot of courage to do something like that."

"So what exactly do we have to do?" Rin asked.

"For now, meeting up in ALO would be the best place to start." Dan suggested. "After that, we can figure out the best way to get Luna's attention."

"I have an idea!" Lilly said. "Why don't we invite everyone? That way Luna can meet them all, and we'll be sure to get her attention."

"That's not a bad idea." Dan said. "Yui might be able to help especially, since she was originally an AI."

"Alright then. I'll make sure to contact everyone." Alicia said. "It's getting late today, so let's try to set it for tomorrow. It'll be Sunday, so almost everyone shouldn't be working too much."

The family nodded in agreement. Alicia began contacting the old members of Wyvern's Inferno and explaining the situation to them. Rin and Lilly also contacted their friends and told them to meet up in Alfheim tomorrow. After everything was set up, Alicia worked on dinner and the family ate together. There was a bit of an odd feeling around the dinner table due to everything that had happened today, but they all knew what they had to do. They were going to bring Luna back.

In the back of Rin's mind however, she had another motive for doing this. Luna's antics had caused her a lot of problems today. She wanted to see for herself what this AI girl was really like. ' _And I'll make sure to give her a piece of my mind while I'm at it.'_

* * *

"Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah, I got it." Emi said as she listened to her sister on the phone. "Alright then. I'll meet you online tomorrow." She hung up the phone and sighed to herself. Hearing that Luna was still alive and the state she was currently in had been surprising to say the least. But she knew that she had to help, especially with how worried Alicia must be right now for Luna.

After all, Emi understood the hardships of being a mother.

"Mommy!" a voice called out.

Emi turned to see a young girl with light tan hair run over to her. Emi smiled as the girl leaped into her arms. "Hey Sakura. How's my little girl?"

The girl known as Sakura giggled as she hugged her mother tightly. Soon another person came into view, smiling over at Emi. It was a man with the same tan hair as Sakura's, which only made sense considering he was her father. He also happened to be Emi's husband, a man named Akira.

It felt like it was yesterday to Emi when she and Akira had met. It was during her junior year of college. She was still doing wonders for the university's gymnastics team. At that time, a new member had joined. He was clearly a rookie, messing up with even the most simplest of routines. But there was something in him Emi admired, his drive and persistence. No matter how many times Akira failed, he kept getting back up and trying again. He learned from each mistake he made and slowly got better. Emi decided to help him out and trained with him. Over time, the two of them became good friends. Nearly a year later, they started dating and several years later they married.

Their daughter Sakura was currently seven years old. The only one of Emi's friends with a child close to her age was Clair. She and Jun had gotten married a year before she and Akira tied the knot, and now had a son named Hayate.

"Who was on the phone, dear?" Akira asked.

"My sister." Emi explained. "There's something going on that she needs my help with, so I'm going to be diving into ALO tomorrow. Think you can watch Sakura while I do that?"

"Of course." her husband nodded. "What's this thing your sister needs help with."

"Trust me, it's a long story." Emi said. "I'll explain it to you later." She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Are you going somewhere, Mommy?" Sakura asked.

Emi smiled at her daughter. "Don't worry Sakura. Mommy just has to help your Aunt Alicia with something. Think you can be a big girl and wait with Daddy for me to come back?"

"Mhm." Sakura nodded with a smile.

"That's my girl." Emi said as she patted Sakura's head. "Don't worry. It'll only be a few hours."

As Emi readied herself for bed, she couldn't help but think about Luna. It had been years since the last time she had seen her. And the last time that was, she still remembered Alicia's sad face as Luna disappeared. She swore to herself that she wouldn't let Alicia cry like that ever again.

* * *

 _-The next day-_

"Link Start!"

As Dan and Alicia uttered those words simultaneously, they both entered the virtual world. They awoke as Ren and Alice, reappearing in their house on Floor 17 of New Aincrad.

"So Rin and Lilly are bringing the rest of the kids over here?" Ren asked.

Alice nodded her head. "Yeah. I bet Luna will enjoy meeting everyone too."

Ren could see the small hint of depression in Alice's eyes. He gave her a comforting peck on the cheek. "We'll bring her back. I promise."

Alice nodded her head. "You're right. Thanks Ren."

"Anytime." he told her. "I'll go grab the rest of the guild and bring them here."

Alice watched as Ren walked out of the house and flew off into the distance. Now it was just her, all alone. But she could feel it ending as a sudden presence appeared behind her.

"I see you found your answer." Kayaba said.

"Yes." Alice nodded. "So all we have to do is try to increase Luna's jealousy of Rin and Lilly and she'll wake up on her own?"

"In theory, yes it should work." Kayaba confirmed. "But what happens after that is up to you."

"It doesn't matter." Alice said. "If this is the safest way to bring Luna back, then I'll do it."

A small smile came to Kayaba's face as he vanished. "Yes, that sounds like you."

Once again, Alice was left to herself. She walked outside and looked around at the town of Lunet. How she missed this calming scenery. It was one of the reasons she loved this house.

Several minutes passed before Alice caught sight of several figures approaching from the sky. She gradually made them out to be Rin, Lilly, and the others.

"There it is!" Rin pointed out. The female Salamander and her friends all descended onto the ground.

Alice waved at her daughters and their friends. "Hello everyone. It's been awhile since I last saw you all."

"Hey Mrs. Hiryo." Naoki greeted with a wave. "Are our folks here yet?"

"Not yet." Alice said. "Ren's meeting up with them now to bring them here."

Rin and Lilly eyed their mother's avatar up and down. "So this is what your avatar looks like." Rin said.

"That's right. It's almost an exact replica of how I looked back in the day." Alice said with a smile. "Then again, that's true for all of the SAO Survivors that converted their accounts to ALO."

"What about your weapon?" Lilly asked. "What kind of weapon did you use?"

Alice opened up her inventory and brought out her beloved weapon from her days playing ALO, Twilight's Crescent. The curved blade of her treasured scythe still had the same shine she remembered.

"A scythe? Don't see that everyday." Rin said. "What are you supposed to be mom, the Grim Reaper?"

A smirk came to Alice's face as she held her scythe out. "No sweetie. The Grim Reaper _wishes_ it had my badass skills with a scythe." She smiled as she looked at her old weapon. "Ah, it's been so long since I've used this thing."

"Is the Berserker Lotus making a comeback?" Yui asked with a grin.

"Berserker Lotus?" Rin and Lilly asked simultaneously. The two sisters both looked towards their mother for an explanation.

An embarrassed blush came to Alice's face. "Now, now, no need to dig too much into the past."

"Come on mom! How'd you get that nickname?!" Rin asked.

"I wanna know too!" Lilly added.

"Sorry girls, but that's one story I won't be telling you." Alice told them. "Anyway, why don't you all come inside. I'll get some snacks out while we wait for your parents to show up."

Rin and Lilly both pouted, wanting to hear more about the story behind their mother's nickname, but they went inside along with their friends.

As they walked inside, Strea let out an impressed whistle. "Wow, this place must have cost a lot to buy."

"It sure did. Ren spent a whole week grinding for cash to get enough Yld to buy it." Alice said. "Ah, those were the days."

The group each looked around the house. As Rin walked around, she noticed it was smaller than her house in the real world, though this one had a much cozier feeling to it. She had heard tales of the guild her parents were a part of, Wyvern's Inferno. There weren't many stories of their exploits since it was a fairly small guild, but they were all known as skilled players. She had heard a lot especially about her father, the leader of the guild. It felt kind of weird to her in all honesty. In the virtual world, her father was known as a skilled swordsman from years past. But to her, he was just her dad. She didn't see him as a warrior, but rather as the caring father that she and Lilly both loved.

As she walked, Rin caught notice of a picture sitting on a shelf. It showed a group of seven players all standing together in a grassy field. "Mom, what's this?"

Alice walked over to her daughter and took a look at the picture. A nostalgic smile came to her face. "That was the guild your father and I were a part of. Wyvern's Inferno." She pointed to Ren. "That's your father. It's a little hard to spot him with the violet hair, I know."

"And the rest?"

"Well there's your Aunt Emi and Aunt Clair." Alice said, pointing to the two young girls smiling next to each other. "They went by Mai and Himiko in this world. Then we have Tetsuya's father Shirou, who went by the name of Riku."

"Who's the hot Spriggan with the ponytail?" Naoki asked as he looked over the shoulders of the mother and daughter. Alice's giggling caused him to narrow his eyes. "What? What'd I say?"

"Naoki… that's your mother." Alice laughed.

A cold sweat went down the back of Naoki's neck as he took another look at the picture, realizing she was right. Rin, as well as everyone else in the room, couldn't help but laugh at their friend's expense.

"Naoki, this is a new low for you."

"Shut up…" Naoki mumbled.

As she laughed, Lilly caught sight of another picture. Upon closer inspection, the Cait Sith saw that it showed both of her parents, as well as a young girl with short violet hair. "Mom, who's this?"

Alice looked over at the picture her daughter was pointing to and her laughter was quickly replaced with a sad smile. "That's Luna."

Rin's eyes widened as she took a look at the picture too. This was Luna? The girl her mother had told her about? The girl that had been messing with her avatar recently? She hadn't expected her to look like this. Luna seemed so happy and carefree in the picture in front of her. What changed?

Yui took notice of a tear rolling down Alice's cheek. "Alice…"

"Don't worry, it's nothing." Alice said as she wiped her eyes. "Just a little bit of nostalgia is all. I'm going to go outside. The others will probably be here soon."

Rin and the others looked at each other as Alice walked out. A frown came to Rin's face. "Mom seems so depressed. I wish there was something we could do."

"Luna's death hurt her a lot when it happened." Yui said, remembering the event. "I think she's worried about Luna and how she was all alone for so long."

"Well then we have to make sure we help bring her back." Lilly said. "And when Luna appears, we'll all greet her with a smile."

* * *

"Man is it good to be back!" Helios said as he stretched his arms out. "It's been forever since I was here last."

"It feels kinda weird though." Mai said, examining herself. "We're all so much older than when we first made our avatars. Now I know what everyone else feels like when they have a randomly generated look."

Helios cracked his usual condescending grin. "You don't seem all that different to me. You're the same squirt you've always been."

Mai growled at Helios. She hadn't been called squirt for years by her asshole of a friend. Now because of this old avatar of hers, the painful teasing was going to come back all over again. "I'm thirty-eight, you insufferable jerk! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks." Riku shrugged. "Once an unbearable asshole, always an unbearable asshole."

Dagger on the other hand was enjoying the feeling of her old avatar. "This feels so nice. It's like I'm a teenager again."

Ren let out a small chuckle as he looked at his old guild. Seeing them like this really brought back memories. "Alright you guys, let's get moving."

The group nodded and flew off towards Lunet. As they flew through Floor 17 of New Aincrad, they couldn't help but think about how much had changed. All one hundred floors had been cleared for several years now. The only purpose the old floating castle served now was a place for players to farm, or to buy a house.

After a few minutes of flying, Ren spotted the house. Alice was standing outside, along with Kirito, Asuna, and Liz, who seemed to have just arrived themselves. He pointed it out to them. "Over there."

From inside the house, Rin and the others watched Ren and the rest of Wyvern's Inferno descend. As the kids walked outside, they couldn't help but notice the surprising resemblance their parents had to how they looked in photographs of their teenage years in the real world.

"Yo pops!" Naoki called out with a wave. "Is that you?"

"You know it Naoki. Take a good look at your old man in his prime." Helios said with a big grin.

"What about me Naoki?" Dagger asked with a cute wink. "Got anything to say about how beautiful your mother was when she was younger?"

Naoki showed an embarrassed blush. "Mom! Come on, you're embarrassing me!"

"Oh, go on and tell her Naoki." Strea said with a grin. "You had no problems commenting on her picture earlier."

"Strea!"

"She's not wrong, you know." Tetsuya smirked.

"Seriously man?! You too?!"

Rin let out a small giggle at Naoki's flustered expression. She looked at the group, but her eyes stopped when she reached Mai.

"What is it Rin? Is something wrong?" Mai asked.

"Not really." Rin said. "It's just… kinda weird Aunt Emi. In the real world, you're a lot older than us. But in here, I think you have the youngest looking avatar out of all of us. It's like looking at a twelve year old."

Helios covered his mouth to avoid bursting out into laughter, but the small snickers he made still caused Mai to glare his way. "Watch it."

"She's got a point though." Himiko admitted. "It's the same for me. It feels weird to suddenly go back to this avatar I made back when I was younger."

"Such is the journey of life." Liz said. "But it does feel nice to go back to my teenage years."

"Yeah, that manish look suits-"

"You say another word and my mace is smashing your head clean off!"

Sayaka and Naoki stood next to each other as they watched Liz and Helios argue with each other. They knew the two of them had never really gotten along, that much had been clear over the years. But it was still weird to see them go at it like this.

Thankfully, Asuna came in and broke up the fight. "Alright, enough you two. We didn't come here to argue."

"Yeah, yeah." Helios groaned. "So what exactly do we have to do?"

"Well we have Rin and Lilly here, as well as me and Alice." Ren said. "I think it's only a matter of time before-"

Ren was cut off as a sudden static sound came from nearby. Everybody turned towards it and saw a small glitch begin to appear. Out of nowhere, a blinding flash of light shined. Everyone shielded their eyes as the light blinded them. As the light gradually dimmed down and vanished, everyone slowly felt their vision clear up. As Alice felt her vision come back to her, she heard the sound of a voice she hadn't heard in many years.

"Mama."

Alice looked in front of her. Standing where the distortion had just been was a familiar little girl. She wore the same clothing she had when she had last saw her and her violet hair hadn't changed a bit. Tears formed in Alice's eyes as she brought her hands to her mouth in order to cover her gasp.

"Luna…" Alice muttered. She took a step forward, but stopped as Luna spoke.

"Why…" Luna asked. Looking closely at the girl, her eyes had a hollow expression to them. "Why did you replace me? Mama. Papa. Why?"

Alice shook her head. "You're wrong Luna. We didn't replace you. We came all this way to see you again."

"Mama… Papa… They replaced me…" Luna muttered. "I'm all alone… I don't belong anywhere…"

"No Luna, you do belong somewhere." Alice told her. "You have us. Your family. Come back to us."

"No…" Luna said, falling to her knees. "I don't wanna be alone anymore. I wanna be with Mama and Papa. Just the three of us."

"Luna." Lilly said. "It's alright. We don't want to hurt you."

"Yeah." Rin nodded. "Just come over and we can talk this out."

"QUIET!" Luna suddenly yelled. "You took Mama and Papa away from me! You made them forget all about me!"

"That's not true Luna." Ren said. "We never forgot about you. Please, come back to us. Let's be a family again."

"I… I…" Luna's body shivered as she stayed kneeling on the ground, holding her hands to her head. Suddenly she let out a loud cry of pain. "AAAAHHHHHH!"

A black pillar shot up around Luna. Alice's eyes widened, remembering this scene from so many years ago. "No! Luna! LUNA!"

Alice ran towards her daughter, but the shock wave from the pillar sent her flying back. She looked in horror as the pillar surrounded Luna and exploded into a burst of energy. As everyone watched the debris clear from the blast, they were greeted with a set of piercing emerald eyes they had hoped to never see again.

"No…" Ren gasped.

It was much smaller than it was last time Ren and the others had seen it, probably a tenth of its original size. Even with its smaller size though, it was still far larger than any of the players there. Its shape however was still the same as ever. The long body covered in black scales. The sharp fangs it showed as it let out a terrifying roar.

Standing before the group and staring down at them was the Demon Snake Jormungandr.

 **A/N: Bet you guys weren't expecting that, were you? In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. The next one will be out in two weeks so stay tuned readers.**

 **Also, before I forget, cause I already forgot to put it in last chapter, the character I was referencing with Megumi's character was Megumin from Konosuba. Congrats to all of you that figured it out.**

 **Lastly, I know most of you guys probably went to the SAO Movie Ordinal Scale premiere in theaters, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm not sure how many of you have heard this yet, but we are going to be getting the dub version of it in theaters as well this April! I can't wait to see it again, because I know I'm going to enjoy it just as much as I did the first time.**


	14. Coming Home

**A/N: Well a lot of you have been waiting for this moment for awhile. Hope the chapter doesn't disappoint. Time for the end of what I'll consider the first arc of Blazing Generation (not counting the first seven chapters of the story since that was basically a prequel to Blazing Generations). Enjoy readers.**

 **Also for those of you that don't know, SWE's SAO Abridged just posted its season finale. It's not on Youtube yet (goddammit Sony) but you can still find the episode on their facebook page.**

Everyone gasped in shock and awe at the beast standing before them. Ren and the others remembered clearly the nightmare that was Jormungandr and the destruction it had caused to Arun. Even though this version was much smaller, it was still much bigger than any of the players present.

"How did Luna become Jormungandr again?!" Mai gasped. "I thought they were separated and Jormungandr was deleted with Luna."

"Jormungandr was originally a part of Luna's data." Yui said. "Some of it must have still been attached to her when they were separated. That's why it's so smaller now."

"Luna!" Alice called out. "Snap out of this! You're not a monster! Let's be a family again!"

The only reply Alice got was a loud roar from Jormungandr. Ren widened his eyes as he saw the snake reel its head back in preparation to attack. "Move!"

Everyone quickly scattered as Jormungandr lunged at them with a bite from its fangs. The group all took to the air as the beast eyed them all.

"What do we do now?" Asuna asked. "Could we try separating Luna again like we did last time?"

"We can't." Yui said with a shake of her head. "I don't have the ability to do that anymore since I'm an ordinary player now. And even if I could, Luna's data is too tightly linked to it this time for us to separate them."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Beat this snake thing to a pulp? Wouldn't that destroy Luna?" Naoki asked.

Yui thought to herself. "We need to try and get Luna to come back to her senses. If we could do that, she'd revert back to normal of her own free will."

Alice tightened her fists, feeling completely helpless right now. She couldn't stand it anymore and dived down at Jormungandr. "Luna! Wake up!"

"Alice!" Ren exclaimed.

Alice flew down until she was right in front of Jormungandr. Tears formed in her eyes as she pleaded with her daughter in her monstrous form. "Luna, I'm begging you. Stop this."

Whatever essence of Luna was in there, it seemed to be suppressed as Jormungandr opened its jaws and went in for a bit at Alice. The mother flinched and closed her eyes, but before she could be hurt, Helios and Kirito slammed into the large snake and knocked it back.

"Look Alice, I know you want to save Luna." Kirito said as he unsheathed his two swords. "But right now, that's not Luna. We don't have a choice but to fight her and hope she'll regain her senses."

"No…" Alice muttered. "I can't fight her like this. Not again."

"Alice." Ren said, flying next to her. "We don't have a choice. If we're going to loosen Jormungandr's hold on her mind, this is the only way."

It was so hard. Luna had already suffered so much. All Alice wanted was to have Luna back with them. Hurting her was the last thing she wanted. But she knew better than anyone. They had to do this.

"Alright." Alice nodded. "Let's do it."

Ren looked over at Kirito. "Alice and I will draw Jormungandr's attention. You guys will focus on damaging it."

"Got it." Kirito nodded.

"I doubt I need to tell you this but-"

"Don't worry. We won't take out all of it's HP." Kirito assured him. "Our goal is to save Luna, not destroy her."

"Thanks." Ren said. He looked at his wife. "You ready?"

Alice nodded her head. "Yeah."

The couple flew together at Jormungandr, drawing its attention and dodging its attacks. Meanwhile, Kirito flew up to the others. "Alright, our job is to try and damage Jormungandr a little. Whatever happens, don't kill it. However monstrous that thing looks, Luna's still inside of it."

"Leave it to us." Dagger nodded.

Kirito looked at his daughter. "Yui, you and the kids will attack as one group. The rest of us will attack as a separate unit and try to keep it pinned down."

"Got it dad." Yui nodded.

Kirito looked at the others. "Alright everyone, let's do this!"

The adults out of the group all swooped down towards Jormungandr as it chased Ren and Alice. Looking down at their parents, Rin and Lilly couldn't help but stare in awe.

"They're incredible." Lilly said.

"Yeah. Their teamwork is amazing." Rin nodded in agreement. "They don't even have to speak to each other. They can communicate with just a single glance and they know what the other is thinking."

"Rin. Lilly." Yui called out, gaining the attention of both girls. "We're going in. You ready?" The response she received was a nod from the two sisters. "Alright then. Let's go."

Kirito's group all swooped down from above, right over where Jormungandr was chasing Ren and Alice. All together, they came down and grabbed the monstrous snake, doing their best to hold it down and keep it from moving.

"Damn, I forgot how hard it was to pin this bastard down last time." Helios grunted as he struggled. "Hey! Hurry up you guys! We can't hold it for long!"

"We're on it!" Yui called out. She came down with both of her swords unsheathed. ' _Sorry about this Luna.'_

As her blades cut into it, Jormungandr let out a sharp cry of pain. Naoki and Strea both impaled their large swords into Jormungandr, damaging it even further. Rin came down with her fist reeled back. She swung it down, smashing it into Jormungandr. The collective assault on it caused Jormungandr to thrash around enough to break free of its hold. It turned towards the group of players that had attacked it. Naoki and Strea expected themselves to be its target with how much damage they had done to it. But to their surprise, Jormungandr's gaze became fixated on Rin. The beast lunged at her.

"Rin! Look out!" Yui exclaimed.

Rin let out a scream of terror, until she suddenly felt something tackle her out of the way. Both she and her savior hit the ground with a rough landing.

"Are you alright Rin?" Ren asked.

"Dad?" Rin gasped.

Ren smiled at her as he got up off of his daughter. "Good. Looks like you're not hurt."

"Dad! Rin! Look out!" Lilly suddenly called out.

Ren and Rin both gasped as they turned their heads and saw Jormungandr come down at them. Suddenly, Alice appeared in between them, holding back Jormungandr's jaw with the shaft of her scythe. She dug her feet into the ground, struggling to hold back the snake.

"Mom?!" Rin gasped. She was amazed at how her mother was able to hold back such a powerful enemy like that.

"What are you two waiting for? Move!" Alice told them.

The father and daughter both nodded and fell back while Alice did her best to hold Jormungandr back. She grit her teeth as she tapped into her hidden reserves of strength.

"Luna, you have to stop this." Alice begged. "Please. Wake up. I don't want to hurt you."

It was faint, but Alice could hear the mumbling sound of Luna's voice as she stood near Jormungandr. It slowly got clearer as she heard her daughter.

" _Mama… Help me…"_

"Luna…" Alice said with widened eyes. "I'm here Luna. Mama's right here. But you need to wake up, okay?"

" _Help me… please… kill…"_

Suddenly, Jormungandr's tail came down at Alice, knocking her back. Alice jumped back as Jormungandr lunged its head down at her. Before the snake could go after her, Liz and Riku appeared and drew its attention.

"Fall back for now Alice!" Riku said as he evaded a bite from Jormungandr's fangs.

Alice nodded and flew over to Ren and Rin, who were on the roof of their house. Looking over at the distance, Alice watched Jormungandr thrash around. Luna's plea was still fresh in her mind. She had to find some way to save her.

"What do we do?" Lilly asked as she descended next to her family. "We can't keep this up forever."

"Luna's in there. I know it." Alice said. "I could hear her before. She was calling for help."

Suddenly, a new appearance arrived. Kayaba materialized near the family of four. "Is that so? So it seems her consciousness is torn at the moment. Interesting."

"Who are you?" Lilly asked as her eyes widened at Kayaba's sudden arrival.

"Do you have a plan, Kayaba?" Ren asked. "Is there a way to separate Luna and Jormungandr?"

"No, there isn't." Kayaba said with a shake of his head. "Only a small piece of Jormungandr exists within Luna at the moment, and it's tightly intertwined with her data. Getting rid of it safely is impossible. However, there is another option."

"What is it? Tell us." Ren said.

"I can send someone into Luna's data." Kayaba explained. "All they'd have to do is make contact with Jormungandr there, and they'd enter her data. From there, they might be able to talk with the real Luna. Her core data to be more precise."

"I'll do it." Alice said. "I'll wake her up."

Kayaba held out his hand. A formation of code filled with ones and zeroes in the form of a small sphere formed in the palm of his hand. "Use this and you'll be able to enter her data. I should warn you though, once you're inside you won't be able to exit unless you can get Luna to come to her senses willingly."

"It doesn't matter. I'm her mother, this is my responsibility." Alice said. She reached out her hand towards the sphere in Kayaba's hand.

But then something unexpected happened.

The sphere was snatched out of Kayaba's hand before Alice could grab it. Ren, Alice, and Lilly all widened their eyes as Rin's right hand became cloaked in the code and she took off.

"Rin!" Alice exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

Rin ignored her mother's call and flew towards Jormungandr with all the speed she could muster. She glared at it as she closed in. ' _It's time you and I had a talk, you little brat.'_

Ren and Alice flew after their daughter, but it was too late. Rin reeled back her fist and swung it down at Jormungandr. The fist collided with the snake's head and a bright light erupted from her hand that was in contact with Jormungadr. Everyone shielded their eyes from the light as it blinded them for a few seconds. When the light died down, Ren and Alice looked and saw that Rin was gone.

"RIN!" Alice exclaimed.

* * *

' _Where am I?'_

Rin looked at her surroundings. She found herself in an empty space that seemed to stretch out for miles. There was nothing there. No trees, no grass, nothing. She could only assume that she had succeeded in managing to get inside Luna's data.

"It hurts."

Rin looked in front of her and saw a young girl resembling Luna huddled up in a ball. A soft sobbing noise came from her as her head was buried into her knees.

"It hurts." Luna mumbled. "I feel so alone. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Looking at the girl in front of her now, Rin couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was nothing like the rampaging snake outside that everyone was fighting right now. She was just a lonely little girl. "Luna…"

"Just let me die!" Luna screamed. "Kill me! Delete me! I don't care how, just make this pain go away!"

Rin took a step forward, slowly walking towards Luna. "You know all you've done lately is cause me trouble. You hack into my account, make me lose a tournament, and now you're throwing a tantrum outside like a little brat. And all I've been able to think about is what I was gonna do to you when I finally got my hands on you." She reached out and grabbed Luna by the collar of her shirt, lifting her into the air and glaring at her. "And I think I finally figured out exactly what to do."

Luna closed her eyes as another tear rolled down the side of her face. This was it. She was going to get what she deserved. But at least once it was over, she wouldn't have to suffer in pain anymore. That was what she thought at least, but instead she felt Rin pull her in close and wrap her arms around her with a comforting hug. Luna opened her eyes, not understanding what was going on.

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore, does it?" Rin asked her. "Mom used to do this to me and Lilly all the time when we were younger and feeling sad."

"Rin…" Luna gasped.

"I know I'm probably not as good as Mom at doing it. I tend to be rash and impulsive most of the time." Rin said. She let go of Luna and looked at her with a soft smile. "So why don't we go back? That way we can see Mom and she can hug you as much as you need."

Luna tilted her head downwards. "But… I…"

Rin placed her hands on her hips and sternly looked at Luna. "Now don't you go saying something stupid like 'I can't go back' or 'I don't deserve it', you got that? I came here to bring you home and you better damn well believe that's what I'm gonna do. We're family after all."

Those last words caused Luna's eyes to widen as she looked up at Rin. "We're... family…?"

"Of course we are you dummy." Rin said as she ruffled her hair, much like her father had done in the past. "We have the same parents, don't we? That makes us sisters." She showed a smile as Luna stared at her. "And they're both dying to see you, so why don't we go back?"

"Sisters…" Luna echoed.

Rin kneeled down and grabbed Luna's hand. "How about it, Luna? Let's go home."

Tears began to well up in Luna's eyes. She threw herself at Rin and began crying. Rin hugged the young girl and lifted her up, walking away with her back to everyone else.

* * *

Everyone backed away as Jormungandr thrashed around violently. Alice stared at the large beast, not seeing Rin or Luna.

"She hasn't come out yet." Alice said worriedly. "Is Rin alright?"

"We have to have faith in her right now." Ren said. "She's our daughter. She can do this."

"But what if-"

"Look!" Lilly exclaimed, pointing at Jormungandr. "Something's happening!"

True to Lilly's word, Jormungandr was behaving strangely. It wasn't acting as violently anymore. Instead, its movements seemed to slow down. It let out a loud roar before light began to seep out from it. Everyone shielded their eyes as Jormungandr became veiled in a blinding light. When it was finally possible to see again, everyone looked at where the giant snake had been, only to find that it wasn't there anymore. In its place was Rin, holding Luna in her arms.

Alice stared at the sight in shock. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at right now was real, or just a dream. Slowly, her legs began to move forward, eventually breaking out into a full run.

"Rin! Luna!"

Luna looked up from Rin and over to Alice as she ran towards her. Tears formed in Luna's eyes as her mother got closer and closer to her. "Mama…" She jumped out from Rin's arms and jumped at Alice once she was close enough. "Mama!"

"Luna…" Alice cried as she held the young girl tightly. "Thank god you're alright."

Rin smiled at the heartwarming sight. Out of nowhere though, she found herself pulled in by Alice and hugged tightly together with Luna. "M-Mom?!"

"Rin… you reckless, reckless girl! You scared me half to death with that stunt you pulled young lady!" Alice told her as she cried.

"Sorry mom." Rin said as she frowned slightly.

Alice held both her daughters close to her. Ren and Lilly walked up and smiled at the sight. Ren patted Rin on the head and looked at her with a proud smile. "Good job Rin. You did great."

Rin smiled as she looked up at her father, while feeling her mother's warmth. The others watching the touching moment all smiled to themselves. Asuna and the other mothers shed a tear, all of them understanding what Alice must be feeling like at the moment.

"Well, it seems you succeeded." Kayaba said, appearing near the family. "It seems that's that then."

"Kayaba…" Ren said. "I never thought I'd ever say this to you but… thank you. Thank you for helping bring Luna back to us."

"So… what now?" Lilly asked. "You said you wouldn't have a body ready for Luna for awhile, dad. What's Luna supposed to do until then?"

Kayaba showed a grin. "I believe I may have a solution."

* * *

 _-Two weeks later-_

Rin and Lilly emerged from the inn they had last logged out from in Yggdrasil City. Today was scheduled for an all-out adventure with Yui and the others.

"We better get moving." Lilly said. "We'll be late at this rate."

"You're right." Rin nodded. The female Salamander looked down at her breast pocket. "You ready to go, Luna?"

Poking her head out from the pocket, Luna gave a nod of her head. Due to some hacking from Kayaba, he had been able to get the system to treat Luna as a Navigation Pixie for the time being. She still looked the same, although a lot smaller obviously. She was dressed up in a cute pink dress and slippers, the same as all Navigation Pixies in the game. She smiled as she gave a salute to Rin. "All ready, sis."

Rin and Lilly both giggled to each other as they took off and flew out to the skies of Alfheim. The wind blew through their hair as they soared.

After Luna had been safely brought back two weeks ago, Dan had talked with Kouichirou about using Luna as the AI for the new body they were working on. Kouichirou had no problems with it, and it had actually been a blessing in some ways due to the fact that it made finding an advanced AI to use easier. Luna had been ecstatic when she heard about the opportunity of getting a real body. Their father had mentioned that it would be nearly half a year before it was ready at the rate the project had been going so far, but Luna was willing to be patient. In the meantime, she had no problems adventuring with her sisters in the world of Alfheim.

"We'll be counting on you today, Luna." Lilly told her sister. "We need you to figure out the moves the boss is going to use."

"I'll do my best." Luna said with a bright smile. "I won't let anything happen to my big sisters."

"And we won't let anything happen to you either." Rin said. "Cause we're a family."

 **A/N: I just love happy endings, and considering the end of the first Luna arc, I'd say this was a much needed one. Luna has now officially joined the gang so get ready for the adorable little sister of the Hiryo trio. Next chapter will be up in its usual two week time.**


	15. Sister Outing

**A/N: So before this chapter starts, I want to thank all of the reviews I got last chapter. I'm glad so many of you liked Luna coming back. I'm sure you will love the chapters coming up cause I plan on having plenty of moments with her.**

 **On another note, the dub for the SAO movie will be premiering in theaters next Saturday. Being the SAO fan I am, I definitely plan on going. For any of you that haven't seen the movie yet, I would recommend going, as the movie was amazing when I saw it subbed. If any of you end up going to see it at Reading Cinemas in Manville NJ, I hope to see you there.**

 **I think I've fanboyed enough for now. On with the chapter.**

Alicia sat in her study as she typed away on her computer, working on her latest novel. Her latest one was going to be a collection of stories of several types of players in Aincrad. Her first novel had dealt with Kirito's adventures in the death game, and her second one had been her own story throughout those two years. In both instances, they involved the perspective of front line players. This time she wanted to go for something different, and get the input of everyday players to see what their lives were like.

She had managed to find some stories about one player in particular, a girl that went around spreading music throughout Aincrad called Yunna. Doing so forced Alicia to track down someone she had never thought she'd ever want to see again, but it had been worth it. He had been surprised to see her, but there were few others that knew Yunna's story in SAO better than him so Alicia had little choice.

As Alicia typed on her computer, she head the phone ring. She picked up the one in her study and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello? Alicia?" a voice said from the other line. "Do you have a moment?"

"Clair, it's so good to hear from you." Alicia said, recognizing the voice on the other end. "Yes, I can talk right now. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd be able to babysit Hayate tonight." Clair asked. "Jun and I are going out to eat, and both of our folks are busy."

"Oooo, dinner with just the two of you? How romantic." Alicia said with a teasing giggle. "Are you two going to have some 'alone time' afterwards?"

"Alicia, come on. Don't say stuff like that. It's just dinner." Clair complained.

"Sorry, but what fun is having a sister-in-law if I can't tease her like Emi?" Alicia giggled. "But to answer your question, we'd be happy to watch Hayate. After all, you babysat Rin and Lilly all the time when they were younger."

"Thanks Alicia. You're a lifesaver." Clair said. "I'll drop him off at your place around six. Sound good?"

"Sure that works fine." Alicia told her.

"Thanks again. See you then Alicia." Clair said as she hung up the phone. Alicia hung up as well and went back to typing, while trying to figure out what to make for dinner since they'd be having an extra mouth at the table tonight.

Time passed by quickly for Alicia, because she didn't even realize an hour had come and gone by when she heard the doorbell suddenly ring. Lilly called out saying "I'll get it" and went to the door.

As Lilly looked out the window, she was surprised to see Yui's father standing at the doorway. He seemed to be holding a box, though she had no idea what its contents were. Lilly opened the door and greeted Kazuto. "Hi Uncle Kazuto. What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too Lilly." Kazuto said with a smile. "I just thought I'd bring over something that I felt your parents might find some use for."

"Lilly? Who's at the door?" Alicia asked from upstairs.

"It's Uncle Kazuto." Lilly called back. "He says he has something for you and dad."

Soon the sound of footsteps coming downstairs could be heard as Alicia walked up to the door. "Hello Kazuto. Asuna told me you'd be stopping by, though she didn't say why."

"Sorry. I felt this would be better as a surprise." Kazuto said. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Please do."

Alicia led Kazuto into the kitchen, where he set the box he was holding on the counter. Rin came downstairs, attracted by the commotion. "What's going on."

"Rin. Perfect timing." Kazuto said. "Do you mind bringing your Amu Sphere down here?"

"My Amu Sphere?" Rin questioned. "What for?"

"You'll see." he said with a knowing grin.

Rin shrugged her shoulders and walked upstairs to grab her Amu Sphere. Meanwhile, Kazuto opened the box and pulled out a small machine. It had a dome-like shape, with a lens in one part of it. "Let's hope this thing still works."

Alicia's eyes widened. "Is this…?"

Kazuto nodded his head. "You got it. We don't really have any need for it anymore, so I thought you'd be able to use it for Luna."

"Luna?" Lilly questioned as she looked at the machine curiously. "How is she supposed to use this?"

"I brought it." Rin said as she came into the kitchen, her Amu Sphere in her hands. She handed the device over to Kazuto. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Kazuto said. He took a wire and hooked up the dome-shaped device to Rin's Amu Sphere, while using another wire to connect the machine to his laptop. "Alright. She should notice the connection now."

Rin and Lilly stared at the machine questionably, wondering what its purpose was. Kazuto spoke to the machine on the counter. "Hey Luna, can you hear my voice? Is it coming through?"

"Yes. I can hear you loud and clear."

Rin and Lilly both jumped as they suddenly heard Luna's voice. "Luna?!" they both gasped as they ran up to the machine.

"Pretty neat, isn't it?" Kazuto grinned. "I used to use this for Yui back before she had her body."

"Wait, so Luna is inside this machine?" Lilly asked.

"This is amazing." Rin said in awe. "Is that really you, Luna?"

"Yes. I can hear you and Lilly perfectly." Luna responded.

"Luna isn't actually inside the machine." Kazuto explained. "I just synced it up with her by giving her a connection through Rin's Amu Sphere, where Luna's data is. Basically the machine allows her to talk to us, while being able to see through the lens on the machine." He unplugged the wire connecting it to the Amu Sphere. "Now as long as the machine has an internet connection, Luna can use this at her leisure to talk with you in the real world. It can also attach to a person's shoulder so you can walk around outside with her, though it'll need to be synced up to one of your phones if you decide to do that."

"Kazuto, I can't thank you enough for this." Alicia said. "This means a lot."

"Don't mention it. This thing has been gathering dust ever since Yui got her body. I'm just glad it can help Luna interact with you guys while her body is being made."

"My vision is a little blurry though." Luna mentioned. "I can't really make out anyone."

"Don't worry. I can fix that." Kazuto said. He went over to his laptop. "I'm going to adjust the lens's settings. Tell us when you can see perfectly."

Kazuto slowly adjusted the lens through his laptop. After a few seconds, Luna spoke. "There. I can see now."

"Perfect." Kazuto said as he disconnected his laptop from the machine. "That should do it. Feel free to use this as much as you want Luna."

"Okay."

"What do you say Luna?" Alicia reminded her daughter.

"Oh right! Thank you Uncle Kazuto."

Kazuto let out a small chuckle. "Don't mention it, Luna." He closed his laptop and put it into his bag. "Well I better get back home. Yui can only keep Strea's antics to a minimum for so long."

"Thanks again, Kazuto." Alicia said. "And tell Asuna and the kids I said hello."

Kazuto waved goodbye to the family as he got into his car and drove off. With him gone, the Hiryo family returned to their new way to communicate with Luna.

"So Yui used to use this thing?" Lilly asked as she stared at the machine.

Alicia nodded her head. "Yeah, back when we were kids. Kazuto was always trying to find ways to help Yui interact in the real world."

"And now Papa's doing the same for me, right Mama?" Luna questioned.

"That's right Luna." Alicia told her. "Although the design for the project was Kazuto's. Another act of him trying to bring Yui to the real world."

"I hope Papa finishes soon." Luna said. "I really want to be with Mama, Papa, Rin, and Lilly in the real world too."

Alicia smiled to herself. "Papa's working his hardest right now to do that, Luna. You'll be in the real world before you know it." Suddenly, the black haired mother remembered something. "Oh, that's right. We can introduce Luna to Hayate tonight?"

"Hayate?" Rin asked. "He's coming here?"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "I'm babysitting him for your Aunt Clair tonight."

"Who's Hayate?" Luna asked.

"He's your cousin." Alicia explained. "I'm sure you'll both get along great."

"Well we've got all day to kill until he gets here." Lilly said. She turned to her sister. "You wanna play ALO for a bit?"

"Sounds good to me." Rin nodded. "What do you say Luna? You up for an adventure?"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Luna said from the machine.

Rin and Lilly both headed upstairs and went into their rooms. They laid on their beds and fit their Amu Sphere's over their heads, entering the virtual world.

"Link Start!"

Rin and Lilly both awoke as their ALO avatars in the capital of Arun. Lilly called her familiar Nikko, while Luna rode on it as they walked through the city streets to shop for supplies.

"You really like Nikko, don't you Luna?" Lilly asked.

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "He's so playful."

Nikko let out a cheerful cry, which made Lilly giggle. "Sounds like he likes you too, Luna."

Luna giggled as she rode on Nikko's back. "Let's be good friends, Nikko."

"So where should we go today?" Rin wondered as they walked.

"Good question." Lilly said as she thought to herself. She looked over to Luna. "Any ideas Luna? See any good quests that aren't too difficult?"

"Let me check." Luna said. She closed her eyes for a few moments, looking through the quest database for ALO. "There's one in the flower gardens of Pooka territory. According to the quest log, the difficulty isn't too high."

"Pooka territory, huh?" Rin said as she thought to herself. "Haven't been there in awhile."

"Sounds like fun." Lilly smiled. "Let's go."

"Alright then. It's decided." Rin said. "Once we finish shopping for supplies, we'll head out to Pooka territory."

The three sisters walked through the city as they shopped for potions and other items for their quest. After stopping at a few shops, they were all set to head out.

"Good thing we don't have to stop by any blacksmiths." Rin said as she looked at the pair of weapons attached to her hands. "One perk of gauntlet weapons is that they don't have any durability to decrease."

"Good for you, cause you're bill would be through the roof with how much you use them." Lilly giggled.

"Hey, don't say it like that!" Rin complained. "You make it sound like I'm a 'punch first and ask questions later' kind of girl."

"Well you are, aren't you?"

"Lilly!"

Luna giggled as she watched her two sisters go back and forth between each other. Looking back to when she was in stasis, she remembered how jealous Rin and Lilly had made her feel. She blamed them for making her parents forget about her, even if it was only a part of her that felt that way. But now, she was as close to them as any sisters could be. She loved her new family.

"Shouldn't we get going soon?" Luna asked.

"Huh?" Rin questioned. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh yeah, we need to be off before Hayate comes over. We should get moving."

As the trio was about to head out, a sudden voice appeared out of nowhere. "Hey! You there!"

Rin and Lilly both curiously turned their heads as a Sylph player came up to them. It was a guy with long green hair and high grade equipment. Neither Rin nor Lilly recognized him.

"Can we help you?" Rin asked.

"Yes, I believe so." he nodded. He pointed over at Luna. "Is that a Navigation Pixie?"

"Yes, I am." Luna nodded as she flew off of Nikko and hovered in front of the player. "I'm Luna. Nice to meet you."

The played eyed Luna curiously. "You really are quite lifelike. I could see it based on your movements, but your speech is so fluid and natural. Far better than most Navigation Pixies I've seen."

"Thank you." Luna said with a smile.

The player looked at Rin and and Lilly. "I'm guessing she belongs to one of you?"

"You could say that I suppose." Rin nodded. "Who are you exactly?"

"Oh right, my apologies. My name is Yuji." the player said. "Your master is quite lucky to have a Navigation Pixie, especially one as lifelike as yourself."

Luna tilted her head, not understanding the player. "Master? Rin and Lilly are my sisters, not my masters."

"Sisters?" Yuji asked. "I see. So the two of you like role playing then?"

"Well… not exactly." Lilly said.

"So what's your price?"

Rin eyed Yuji, not liking where this was going. "Price?"

Yuji nodded his head. "Yeah, how much are you willing to sell your Navigation Pixie for?"

"Sell?" Luna questioned, her eyes growing worried. "Rin and Lilly wouldn't sell me, right?"

Rin gave Luna a reassuring smile. "Of course not Luna. We wouldn't dream of it." She looked back to the Sylph. "Sorry, but she's not for sale."

"I can pay. I'm a high ranking member in the Sylph government. Just name your price."

Lilly glared at Yuji, while Nikko gave a low snarl. "You're not getting Luna, pal."

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Rin said, taking a step forward and glaring at him. "She's. Not. For. Sale."

"Please, I understand Navigation Pixies are rare and useful, but I can give you money, and even legendary class equipment." Yuji pleaded. "I can even get you two special jobs for the Sylphs. Some of our officials love girls that can put on a show."

BAM

Yuji didn't get to say another word as he received a rather deadly punch from both Rin and Lilly simultaneously, sending him flying into a nearby fountain. The male Sylph got out of the water, his clothes drenched with water.

"Do you two have any idea who I am?! The influence I wield in the Sylph government?!"

Rin looked at Lilly. "He has a point. Should we dry him off, Lilly?"

"It'll be my pleasure." Lilly smirked. The Cait sith looked to her familiar. "Nikko, flare stream."

The small red dragon breathed in before releasing a spiraling wave of fire. Yuji felt the flames burn him up as he began dancing around. "Ow! Hot hot hot hot!" Once the flames died down, he glared at the two girls. "I'll remember this! You'll regret messing with me!"

Rin and Lilly both smirked as they watched Yuji run off. Once the Sylph official was out of sight, they both high fived each other. Nikko gave a happy chirp as he nudged Luna playfully.

"Thank you so much." Luna smiled. "You're the best sisters ever!"

"Come on, like we'd actually sell you like some object." Rin told her. "Especially to a stuck up jerk like that."

"Do other players sell Navigation Pixies?" Luna asked.

Lilly thought to herself. "Well Navigation Pixies are pretty rare, so there aren't a lot of players known to have them. But I suppose it's probably been done once or twice. They can be a big asset in the game."

"But why?" Luna asked. "Aren't the players friends with their Navigation Pixies? Why would they sell them?"

"... I'm not really sure, Luna." Rin said with a sigh.

As the trio of sisters left the city and headed towards their destination, both Rin and Lilly thought to themselves. As players, they often considered NPCs as just programs sometimes. Even ones connected to the language engine module, one of the closest things on the borders to AIs, could be considered programs. But AIs were far from simple ones and zeroes. They had never even seen Yui as an AI. She had been their friend for as long as they had known her. But Luna had been the first one they had first seen as an AI. Granted, they now saw her as their sister and just as human as anyone else, but when they had first heard about her from their parents she was just an AI.

So was there even a difference between the two? Was there even a difference between a human and a NPC either?

So many people saw NPCs and even AIs as programs. But Rin and Lilly's experiences with both Yui and Luna had shown them that wasn't the case. AIs could feel emotion and think for themselves. NPCs were the same as well, to an extent. To players, they were equivalent to objects given human form. But to Rin, Lilly, and all of their friends, the border between the two wasn't so black and white.

"Luna…" Rin said. "I can't answer why some players see Navigation Pixies as objects. But what I do know is that you're not an object to me or to Lilly. You're our sister, and that's all that matters."

Luna smiled to herself and nodded. "Thank you! You two are the best!"

"Alright then!" Lilly cheered. "Time for some adventure! Team Hiryo, let's move!"

* * *

"Take this!" Rin yelled as she swung her fist forward, knocking back a large plant-type monster known as the Vicious Wildweed. They were polluting the fields as Rin fought them. Slowly but surely, the female Salamander was beginning to get overwhelmed.

"Rin! Poisonous breath attack coming from behind you!" Luna warned from her sister's shoulder.

"Got it." Rin confirmed as she backflipped over the toxic breath from one of the monsters. She flew over the one that had attacked her and delivered a powerful kick to it before it could turn around, sending the monster crashing into its friends.

Rin called out towards a nearby hill in the distance. "Now Lilly! They're all yours!"

Lilly smirked as she held out her hand, carefully aiming at the cluster of plant monsters. She snapped her fingers several times, sending a barrage of fire attacks from her Element Pistol spell towards the monsters. The blasts hit their targets and the monsters bathed in Lilly's flames, which they were weak to. They let out cries of pain before shattering into fragments.

"We did it!" Luna cheered as she flew off of Rin's shoulder and circled in the air.

"Lilly's sniping sure comes in handy for stuff like this." Rin said as she stretched out her arms. "Her aim with that Element Pistol is something else." The female Salamander called out to her sister. "Hey! Lilly! We're heading out to the next area! We still need to hunt a few more of those Wildweed things!"

"Coming!" Lilly called back. She was about to run over to her sisters, but she suddenly felt something grab her leg. "Huh?" Before she could react, Lilly found herself forcefully pulled away and held up in the air. "Ahhhhhh!"

"Lilly!" Rin exclaimed. She brought out her wings and quickly flew towards her sister, with Luna gripping tightly on her shoulder.

Lilly looked behind her and saw the monster grabbing her was another plant monster with one of its vines wrapped tightly around her leg. "Why you little…" Lilly reached for her shortsword and unsheathed it, but before she could use it to cut the vine holding her leg, another one stretched out and gripped her arm holding the sword. The Cait Sith struggled, but found herself unable to break free of the monster's hold. "Let me go you disgusting weed!"

"Hang on, Lilly! I'm coming!" Rin called out as she flew in closer.

"Rin! Help!" Lilly cried out as the plant brought her closer to its open mouth. Her familiar Nikko flew near her and tried to blast the monster holding its master with a fire attack, but it was quickly swatted away by a vine. "Nikko!"

Rin flew as fast as she could towards Lilly as she watched her sister get closer to being eaten. Her eyes widened as she saw the plant close its mouth with Lilly inside it. Rage flashed in Rin's eyes as she reeled her fist back. "Spit her out right now!"

The force of Rin's fist uprooted the plant and sent it flying in the distance. The plant let out a weak cry of pain before shattering into fragments. Rin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lilly fall to the ground, her HP still above zero.

"Lilly!" Rin called out as she flew over to her sister. "Are you alri-... Eww…"

Lilly sat up from the ground, moaning while covered in some sort of slime that she could only assume came from the inside of the monster that had just tried to make her into its lunch. "Gross! What is this stuff?!"

"I believe it's some kind of stomach juice from the plant monster." Luna assumed. "It won't affect your stats, but it'll stay like that for awhile like a status effect. You can remove it though if you take a bath in-game or get hit with a water attack."

"Water attack, huh? Too bad we don't have Sayaka with us." Lilly sighed. "But I can't go back to town looking like this!" The Cait Sith looked pleadingly at Luna. "Isn't there a lake, or something I could wash this stuff off nearby?"

Luna shook her head. "The closest place is the ocean, and that's at least forty minutes away by flight."

Lilly groaned as she hung her head low. "Great, so I have to walk back into town with slime all over me."

"Well… you win some you lose some, I guess." Rin said with a shrug, not really sure what to say to lift her sister's spirits.

The trip back to the Pooka capital was not a pleasant one, at least for Lilly. As the trio walked through the city, several players were eyeing Lilly, seeing her covered in the gross slime from the plant monster. The Cait Sith kept her head low and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

"This is humiliating…" Lilly complained.

"Don't worry. We're almost at the inn. You should be able to take a bath in there." Rin told her.

The only response Rin got from her sister was a low moan of self-pity. Luckily no one was dumb enough to walk up and ask what had happened. They could all tell that the Cait Sith was already having enough of a bad day and probably didn't want to talk about it.

Once they got to the tavern, Lilly quickly went into the bath area, which consisted of a large pool of hot water for multiple people to soak in. For obvious reasons, it was not co-ed. Lilly removed her equipment and got in the bath. True to Luna's information, the slime on her disappeared almost instantly. Lilly let out a relaxing sigh and let her naked body soak in the tub of water, closing her eyes and relaxing. "Ahhh. Much better."

"Rough day in the fields I take it?"

Lilly opened her eyes as the sudden voice caught her off guard. On the other side of the wide tub were two other girls, both Pookas. They both had bath towels on, covering their chests. It was at that moment, Lilly realized she had rushed right into the water and neglected to grab a towel. The Cait Sith quickly brought her arms up to cover her exposed chest, to which the two Pooka girls giggled at.

"Relax, we're all girls here." one of them assured her. "No need to be shy."

"R-Right." Lilly nodded, letting herself relax a bit.

"So what happened to you anyway? Let me guess, plant monster?"

Lilly nodded her head. "How'd you know?"

"Believe me, it happens more often around here than you think. Pookas aren't the greatest fighters, so grinding out in the fields can get messy pretty easily."

Lilly giggled as she chatted with the two Pooka girls. After awhile, she got out of the bath and put her equipment back on. Luckily, it seemed the bath had caused the slime on her outfit to disappear as well. She exited the bath and stretched her arms out.

"Now THAT was refreshing." Lilly said with a relaxed sigh.

"Well you certainly look better." Rin said from a table where she and Luna were busy sipping on a drink.

Lilly walked over to her two sisters with a smile on her face. "You don't know the half of it. I know cats aren't supposed to like water, but that felt so good."

"In any case, we should probably log off soon." Rin suggested. "Aunt Clair is probably going to bring Hayate over soon."

Looking up at the time at the top right corner of her vision, Lilly noticed Rin was right. "Yeah, let's get a room here and logout for the day."

"Actually, could we go to New Aincrad instead?" Luna suggested. "New Aincrad is currently over Pooka territory right now."

"That's true." Lilly nodded. "You wanna logout at our parent's house?"

Ever since they had first gotten Luna back, Ren and Alice had given Rin and Lilly access to their house on Floor 17. They had forgotten about it before, so the idea never occurred to them. But since the two girls played ALO much more frequently, it only made sense to allow them to use it to log in and out. Besides, Luna felt at home there.

The trio of sisters flew out from the Pooka capital and up towards New Aincrad which was floating in the sky near them. They flew up to the Town of Beginnings on Floor 1 and went to the teleport gate.

"Teleport! Lunet!"

* * *

Rin and Lilly walked into the quiet house. Luna flew off from Rin's shoulder, and in a flash of light, returned to her human form. Her cute pink pixie dress was replaced by a violet and white dress along with pink slippers.

"You gonna be ok on your own, Luna?" Lilly asked. "We can stay with you a little longer if you want."

Luna shook her head. "It's ok, I'll be fine. And I can still talk with you on the device Uncle Kazuto brought over."

"Alright then." Rin nodded. "If you insist." She and Lilly each took a seat on one of the couches and opened their menus to logout.

"We'll contact you once Hayate arrives." Lilly told the young girl. "See you in a bit Luna."

Luna watched as both of her sisters logged out and vanished, leaving the house all to herself.

Rin and Lilly both opened their eyes as they found themselves on their beds. They exited their rooms and headed downstairs into the kitchen. As they walked in, they could hear two voices talking.

"Really? You think it'll work?"

"It should. Kazuto and Asuna were able to link Yui to their phone in the past. Taking that into account, this should work too."

As Rin and Lilly peered their heads in, they saw their father working on a laptop near the device Kazuto had brought over. Dan looked over at his two daughters and smiled. "Hey you two. How's my two favorite girls doing?"

"Hey dad." Rin said as she and Lilly walked up to him.

Lilly looked curiously at the laptop screen. "What're you doing?"

"I'm seeing if I can synch up the machine Kazuto brought over with this laptop." he explained.

Lilly narrowed her eyes curiously. "Why? We can already communicate with Luna through the machine can't we?"

"We can hear her and talk to her, that's true." Dan nodded. "But if I tweak things like this…" He typed a bit more on the keypad. "There we go." He turned his head back to the device. "Alright Luna, there should be a new window option for you. Open it up."

"Ok Papa." Luna's voice spoke through the machine. Rin and Lilly both leaned over their father's shoulders and looked at the laptop screen, where a window opened up, showing a video chat with Luna.

"Luna?!" they both gasped.

"Hi!" Luna said with a wave.

"How is it Luna?" Dan asked. "Can you hear us?"

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "I can see you perfectly, Papa."

"That's good." Dan said with a smile. "This should make communicating a bit easier."

Alicia smiled at Luna. "All that's left is-" the mother was cut off as she heard the doorbell ring. "That must be them."

Dan got up and walked over to the front door. He opened it up, revealing Clair and Jun, along with their eight year old son Hayate. He had light brown hair like his mother's and the same red eyes his father had.

"Hey sis. Nice to see you." Dan said as he let the three of them in. He smiled down at his nephew. "And hello to you too, Hayate."

"Hi Uncle Dan." Hayate grinned.

"Long time no see, bro." Clair said with a smile. "Thanks again for babysitting Hayate."

"It's no problem. You two just go out and enjoy yourselves." Dan told them.

Clair nodded her head. "So is there any developments with Luna?"

"Actually, yes." Dan told her. "Come on, I'll show you."

Clair and Jun followed Dan into the kitchen. Dan brought them over to his laptop and turned it so the screen was facing the couple. "What do you think?"

Clair's eyes widened. "Luna?! Is that you?!"

Luna tilted her head curiously. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"It's me. Your Aunt Clair." Clair explained. "This is how I look in the real world."

Luna gasped as she looked at the woman. "Aunt Clair?! Wow! You look so different!"

Clair giggled at her AI niece. "It's so good to see you. Let me introduce you to my husband, your Uncle Jun." She gestured to her husband next to her.

"Hello Uncle Jun." Luna said with a smile as she waved.

"There's one other person I want you to meet." Clair said. She looked offscreen. "Hayate, can you come here for a second?" Hayate ran over to his mother, who lifted him up and sat him on her lap. "Hayate, say hello to your cousin Luna."

Luna waved to the boy. "Hello Hayate. I'm Luna."

Hayate tilted his head curiously. "Why are you in a computer?"

"I'm an AI." Luna explained. "I'm not human right now."

"So you're a robot?"

Clair giggled at her son. "It's not that simple Hayate. For now… think of her as your cousin that lives online."

Hayate didn't seem to fully understand, but didn't seem to mind. "Okay then. Nice to meet you Luna."

Clair smiled and kissed her son on the cheek. "Daddy and I will be back for you after dinner, ok Hayate? I want you to be on your best behavior for Uncle Dan and Aunt Alicia."

"Okay. Bye Mommy." Hayate said as he waved goodbye to his parents.

Clair and Jun walked out the front door. As Alicia put the finishing touches on dinner, Hayate chatted away with Luna. Dan smiled at the sight, happy to see that Luna had someone new to talk to. Rin and Lilly joined in on the conversation and soon all four kids were busy talking amongst themselves.

Soon Alicia finished preparing dinner for the family. Everyone sat down and began digging in. The usual dinner conversation began among the family.

"So what did you girls do today?" Dan asked Rin and Lilly.

Rin shrugged her shoulders. "Just a bit of hunting and a quest in ALO."

"Anything interesting happen?"

Lilly frowned and lowered her head. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Dan and Alicia looked at each other. Rin shook her head at her parents, telling them it probably wasn't a good idea to press the topic. Alicia quickly changed the subject as she turned to Hayate. "So Hayate, are you enjoying summer break?"

"Mhm." Hayate nodded. "But I have to do summer homework too. It's so boring."

"Tell me about it." Rin agreed. She glanced towards her sister. "But somebody sure doesn't seem to mind."

"Maybe because I don't put my work off until the last minute." Lilly countered with a grin.

Rin showed a pout towards her sister. "Hey, I don't always do that."

"No, just most of the time."

"Lilly!"

Alicia giggled as she watched her two daughters. It reminded her of herself and Emi when they were both Rin and Lilly's age. "What about you two? Any plans for the summer?"

The two girls thought to themselves for a bit before shaking their heads. "Not really." Rin said. "Just playing ALO and hanging out with Yui and the others."

"Just remember to make the most of it. Summer will be over before you know it." Alicia told them. "And remember to get your homework done."

"Yeah, yeah." Rin sighed.

Dinner continued for the family as they ate together. Once they finished, Rin and Lilly brought their plates over to the sink and did the dishes. Hayate went over and continued talking with Luna. Dan and Alicia smiled at how well the two of them were hitting it off. It was nice, considering they were around the same age in a sense.

Another hour passed by before Alicia heard the doorbell ring. She went over and found Clair and Jun back to pick up Hayate. "Welcome back you two. I hope you had a nice time."

"It was lovely. It's been so long since I went to a fancy restaurant." Clair said with a smile. "I hope Hayate didn't cause you any trouble."

"Of course not. He was a perfect little angel." Alicia assured her. "He's in the other room right now."

Clair followed Alicia into the kitchen, where Hayate was busy talking with Rin and Lilly. Looking at the kid, it was clear he was starting to get groggy.

"Hey Hayate. We're back." Clair said as she walked over to him and lifted him up in her arms. "Somebody looks tired."

Hayate shook his head, but it was clear that he was lying. "M'not tired..."

"Mhm, sure you're not." Clair said. "Either way, it's getting close to your bedtime. Say goodbye to everyone."

"Bye Rin. Bye Lilly. Bye Uncle Dan and Aunt Alicia." Hayate waved as Clair carried him away. He let out one last yawn. "Bye Luna."

"Bye Hayate." Luna said from the computer.

After Hayate and his parents left the house, Rin and Lilly walked over to Luna. "So what did you think of Hayate, Luna?" Lilly asked.

"He's really funny." Luna giggled with a smile. "He also talked about another one of our cousins. I believe her name was Sakura."

"That's your Aunt Emi's daughter." Alicia explained. "I'll make sure you two get introduced soon. You and her will get along great."

"Come to think of it, Luna hasn't seen what Yui and the others look like IRL yet." Lilly said. "Maybe we can use the machine Uncle Kazuto brought to introduce her sometime in the next couple of days."

"That's not a bad idea." Rin agreed. "We can show Luna all kinds of places with it. That way she'll have something to look forward to once she comes to the real world."

"Really?! You promise?" Luna asked with her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Of course, Luna. We promise." Lilly nodded.

"Yay!" Luna cheered.

Alicia smiled listening to her three daughters talk. She had been hesitant at first at how Rin and Lilly would act towards Luna, seeing as how she wasn't related to them by blood and the fact that the first time they met had been… eventful, to put it lightly. But the three of them were as close as sisters could be. Granted they argued about small things here and there, but that was something all siblings did. It just made Alicia see how much more of a family they had become.

The night went on, and eventually Rin and Lilly headed off to bed. Dan and Alicia were about to do the same as they prepared to head upstairs.

"Good night, Luna." Alicia said to her daughter. As she looked at Luna, Alicia noticed she seemed hesitant about something. "Is everything ok, sweetie?"

"Well…" Luna began. "Mama, Papa, I was wondering if you could log into ALO before you go to bed. Just for a few minutes."

Alicia and Ren looked at each other and nodded. "Of course Luna. We'll be on in a bit." Dan told her. "See you then."

Luna nodded her head. "Thank you."

Dan closed the laptop and turned off the machine Luna used to connect with them. He and Alicia went upstairs and into their room. They changed into their pajamas and grabbed their Amu Spheres, fitting them over their heads. The couple closed their eyes and entered the virtual world to meet Luna.

"Link Start!"

Ren and Alice opened their eyes and found themselves lying on their bed in their home in ALO. Waiting for them at the edge of the bed was Luna. She crawled into the bed and hugged Alice. "Thank you for logging on, Mama and Papa."

"Of course, Luna." Alice said as she embraced her daughter. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"No…" Luna said. "I just… wanted to fall asleep with you. I know the Amu Sphere automatically logs players out if they're asleep for a certain period of time, but I just wanted to be with you and Papa for a little. I know you're both busy in the real world."

"Luna…" Alice said. She brought Luna in close to her, with Ren joining in on the family hug. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to spend much time with you online. Why didn't you tell us you felt lonely?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm not really lonely. Rin and Lilly both spend lots of time with me here. But still… I miss being able to relax with you and Papa, like how we used to." She looked up at her parents. "So would it be ok if I lay here with you, until the system logs you both out?"

Alice nodded her head. "Of course Luna."

The couple both laid down on the bed with Luna lying in between them. The three of them snuggled up together. Luna could feel the warmth of both of her parents as she closed her eyes. "Good night Mama. Good night Papa."

"Good night Luna." Ren said as he kissed her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

Ren and Alice both closed their eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep along with Luna. Before they knew it, they both suddenly found themselves back in the real world.

Alicia removed her Amu Sphere and let out a sigh. "I feel bad. It must be so lonely for her sometimes. We can't always be on with her, and neither can Rin or Lilly."

"I know how you feel." Dan nodded. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "But Luna will be fine. We'll do what we can for now. And I'll make sure to try and bring her to the real world as soon as possible."

Alicia nodded her head. "I know you will. We just have to be patient until her body is ready." She set her Amu Sphere aside and snuggled up next to her husband. "I love you Dan. Good night."

"Good night Alicia." Dan said as he kissed her on the cheek. The two of them slowly drifted off to sleep, this time falling asleep for good for the night.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Next one will be up in two weeks, but after that I should be able to go back to my once a week update. And for any of you going to see the movie next Saturday, I hope you enjoy it as much as I plan to.**


	16. Blazing Firestorm

**A/N: Here you are readers. Another chapter of Blazing Generations to brighten your day. Starting with this chapter, I will be able to go back to a weekly update schedule for this story, so you won't have to worry about long update periods.**

 **Also, for those of you wondering, the dub of Ordinal Scale was great! I really enjoyed it. All of the characters were voiced perfectly.**

 **Guest: You'll find out the answer to that question later in the Ordinal Scale story I'm doing in Lost Stories. If you've seen the movie, I'm sure you could make a few guesses.**

 **TheSibsNo1Fan: My username isn't a reference to any type of anime or anything. It's just an old nickname I had at one point.**

Lilly let out a yawn as she sat on the couch of her parent's home in Lunet. Ever since she and Rin had gotten access to the house from her parents, Lilly had spent a lot of her down time here. It gave her a nice quiet place to read, while spending some time with Luna. Frankly, it was a win-win.

"Whatcha reading, Lilly?" Luna asked as she leaned over her sister's shoulder.

"Oh nothing special. Just a book for school." Lilly said. "Rin may tend to procrastinate, but I like to get my work done in a timely manner."

"Do you like reading?" Luna asked. "Rin says she hates reading the books she gets in school."

Lilly giggled to herself. "Yeah that sounds like her. As for me though, I love books. There's boring ones sure, but there's also a ton of cool ones like mysteries and romances and all kinds of other stuff."

"Mama writes books too, right?"

"That's right." Lilly nodded. "I remember when Rin and I were little, and she'd tell us all kinds of stories. Stories of her adventures in SAO, of her and dad, and so many others. I guess that was what first got me interested in books."

Luna smiled to herself. "Mama told me stories too. I remember one about a monstrous sheep she and Papa fought."

"I remember that one!" Lilly said as she burst out laughing. "Sheeptar the Sheep King. I still can't believe that was a boss they fought."

The two sisters giggled together before Lilly let out another yawn. Luna looked at her sister curiously. "Are you tired Lilly?"

"A little." Lilly said. "I have been reading for the past hour. Maybe I'll take a quick catnap." The Cait Sith closed the window of the book she was reading and curled up on the couch. She wasn't sure if the game gave Cait Siths cat-like instincts, but the couch felt so much comfier than the bed to her.

"Have a nice nap, Lilly." Luna said.

Suddenly Rin's avatar manifested into the room as she logged on. "Lilly! You're not gonna believe this!"

Lilly groaned as she opened her eyes. "So much for a nice catnap." She sat up and looked at her sister. "What's going on that has you so excited?"

"Open up your notification list. Check out the latest article."

Following her sister's instructions, Lilly opened up her menu and went to the notification list. It was a list of articles giving out up to date information to players about any updates and whatnot for ALO. Lilly looked at the one at the top of the list and looked at the title. It read ALO Annual Tournament.

"The annual tournament, huh. I guess it is around that time of year again." Lilly said. "Did you really have to interrupt my nap for this though? I know it's the biggest tournament they hold, but so what? It's nothing new."

"Just tap the article and read it." Rin told her.

Lilly sighed and opened up the article to read it. As her eyes scanned through it, she caught sight of what she could only assume was the thing that had Rin so energetic.

 _In past years, the ALO Annual Tournament has been the place where players battle it out to see who is the best of the best, in order to claim the title of ALO's strongest player. But Alfheim Online's original goal was for a race to work together to reach the top of the World Tree. To celebrate that spirit of teamwork, this year's tournament will not be for individuals. It will be a team tournament._

"A team tournament." Lilly read. "That's certainly a first."

"I know right?! It's going to be so awesome!" Rin cheered. "All of us can make a team together and show we're the strongest players in ALO."

"Don't go celebrating too quickly." Lilly told her sister as she continued to read. "The article says we need a minimum of three players, but can only have a maximum of five. There's seven of us and last I checked seven is more than five."

"Huh?" Rin blinked in surprise. She took a look at the article where Lilly was pointing and read it for herself. "Aw man, I was hoping we would all be able to fight together."

"That's what happens when you don't read everything." Lilly scolded. Suddenly, she saw a message flash up in front of her. The address said it was from Yui. Curious as to what it was, she opened it up.

"What's it say?" Rin asked.

Lilly closed the message window. "Looks like Yui saw the tournament article too. She wants us all to get together and see what we're going to do."

* * *

Once everyone responded to Yui's message, the group got together in Yggdrasil City. All seven of them sat together at a cafe table while they discussed the tournament.

"Man, this sucks." Naoki sighed. "Why couldn't the devs just make it a max of seven players?"

"They need to try and balance things out as much as they can." Yui said. "If a team is allowed too many members, they could get a huge advantage over others who can't get enough people."

"So what do we do?" Strea asked. "I'd feel bad leaving anyone out just because of some stupid rule."

"We could always make two teams." Lilly suggested. "With a three player minimum, we've got enough people for it."

"But then one team would have four members. That's not fair either." Tetsuya pointed out.

The group sat together in silence as they figured out what they could do. Suddenly, Sayaka broke the silence and spoke up. "I'll sit out." Everyone's heads turned to the Undine in surprise. "I mean, according to the rules, even though it's a team tournament, the rounds will consist of one on one matches. A support player like me won't be any help in those."

"But-"

"Really, it's fine." Sayaka assured them with a nod. "In return though, one of the teams you guys make better win."

"Actually, we can enter with one team." Tetsuya said as he leaned back in his chair. "I'll sit out too."

"Tetsuya?!" Naoki gasped. "Seriously bro? Why would you sit out from such a big event like this?"

"Don't get me wrong. I'd love to compete in it." the male Sylph said. "But the tournament's in two weeks, and I've got the fencing regionals next week to train for. I won't have time to train much in ALO." He looked at his friends with a reassuring smile. "Besides, now you guys will have a team of five. No one has to worry about getting left out or being on the weaker team."

"Tetsuya…" Yui said, not really sure how to respond.

"Come on, don't give me those faces you guys." Tetsuya told them. "I'll be fine. But like Sayaka said, you guys better make sure you win."

Rin nodded her head at her friend. "You got it Tetsuya. We'll win this thing for sure for you and Sayaka."

"You better." Tetsuya said with a thumbs up.

Yui addressed her friends. "Ok, so the team is me, Strea, Rin, Lilly, and Naoki. Now that we've got the members figured out, all we need is a team name."

"I've got it!" Naoki said with a big grin. "We'll call it Naoki's Harem!"

"Like hell we will!" Rin exclaimed as she delivered a bash to the head of her friend. "I'd sooner bow out of the tournament then enter under that team name!"

"What about the Sexy Divas?" Strea suggested.

"Strea…" Yui said with narrow eyes.

"Fine. Sexy Divas plus Naoki."

Yui sighed as she face palmed herself. "Anyone with a name less… eccentric?"

Everyone thought to themselves for a bit as they tried to come up with a team name. The silence went on for what seemed like forever, with none of them able to come up with a good name. After a minute or so, a suggestion came from Sayaka. "What about Team Black Firestorm?"

Lilly looked at Sayaka. "Black Firestorm?"

"Yeah." Sayaka nodded. "Except for Yui and Strea, everyone here has at least one parent that was in the Wyvern's Inferno guild from SAO, right? And Yui and Strea's dad was known as the Black Swordsman. So it's kinda like merging them all together."

"Black Firestorm…" Yui said to herself. A smile formed on her lips. "I think it's a good name. What about you guys?"

"I'm all for it." Rin said.

"Sure. Why not?" Lilly nodded.

"Yeah! We're the firestorm that's gonna burn down the competition!" Strea cheered.

"I still say we go with Naoki's Harem." Naoki said. A quick glare from Rin soon shut him up though. "B-But Black Firestorm sounds cool too."

"Alright then. It's settled." Yui said. "Team Black Firestorm, let's go out there and prove we're the best in ALO."

"Yeah!"

Rin grinned to herself. "I'm so pumped for this! Let's start training right away!"

"Sounds good to me!" Strea said as she raised her fist into the air.

"Not so fast." Yui reminded her sister as she pulled at her ear. "We've got chores to finish up IRL, remember?"

Strea pouted as she lowered her arm. "Aw, you always spoil the fun, sis."

"I can't go right now. I've still got to finish up some of my homework." Lilly said. "Sorry."

Rin groaned at her friends. Why did they all have to go and shoot down her excitement like that. She looked towards the one person in the group that she was actually hoping would say he was busy. But the grin on his face told her that wasn't the case.

"I'm free." Naoki told her. "Now where're we going to train?"

* * *

Naoki let out a war cry as he swung his sword upwards. The force of it forced the large Wild Gorilla he was fighting to jump back a bit. "Now Rin! Switch!"

"On it!" Rin confirmed as she leaped over Naoki and raised her leg upwards. With devastating force, she delivered a deadly axe kick to the monster, sending its head right into the ground. The monster let out a low moan of pain as the rest of its HP fell to zero and it shattered. Rin grinned proudly as she stood over the defeated enemy.

"That was awesome!" Luna cheered as she flew out from Rin's breast pocket and landed on her shoulder. "You beat that monster good, sis!"

"Thanks Luna." Rin said with a smile. She glanced over at Naoki. "And I guess you did help a little too, so thanks Naoki."

"Heh, I could have taken that guy solo if I had to." Naoki grinned as he rested his large two-handed sword on his shoulder. "Admit it, you're glad I'm here to help."

"Not happening." Rin said as she turned away from him.

"Come on Rin! You're not like this with any of the others!"

"That's because they're not like you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Naoki asked.

Luna tilted her head as she sat on Rin's shoulder. "Why are you so cold towards Naoki? You said yourself that you thought of him as a reliable friend."

"L-Luna!" Rin exclaimed. "Don't go telling him stuff like that!"

A grin soon came to Naoki's face. "Oh really? What else did your sister say about me?"

"Let me think." Luna said brought a finger to her chin. "She said you were a dirty pervert, that you love peeking on girls, your mind is filled with disgusting thoughts, and you have no dignity whatsoever when it comes to trying to woo over girls."

"Oh…"

"But she said that despite all that, you're a really loyal friend that always comes through when it matters." Luna added. "She says she knows that she can depend on you to have everyone's backs."

Naoki looked towards Rin who simply averted her gaze from him with a small blush on her face. "Don't let it go to your head. You're still a pervert."

Naoki puffed his chest out and grinned. "Hey can't expect a guy to change, right? But it's nice to know you at least have some respect for me."

"Whatever." Rin said. "Let's just get back to training."

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Rin, Naoki, and Luna all turned their heads toward the top of the cliff above them. Standing proudly at the top was a male Sylph with long green hair.

Rin's eyes widened as she recognized the player. "Hey! You're that Yuji jerk from the other day!"

"So you remember me?" Yuji said with a grin. "Then you should also remember what you did to me. I told you I'd get back at you for humiliating me."

"Friend of yours, Rin?" Naoki asked.

"Not even close." Rin said with a scowl as she looked up at Yuji. "What do you want? A fight?"

"I want you to suffer." Yuji said with a grin. "I was hoping to get you and your Cait Sith friend together, but I guess I'll just have to get my revenge on her another day."

Rin grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "Bring it. I can take you any day."

"Perhaps." Yuji smirked. "But can you handle them?" With a snap of his fingers, several Sylph players showed themselves at Yuji's side. At the same time, multiple others emerged from the woods behind Rin and Naoki and quickly surrounded them.

"Cowardly bastard." Rin growled.

"Now, now. Such ugly words don't suit a lady." Yuji said. "These players here are my elite guard. I told you I was a high ranking member of the Sylph government after all." He held out his hand. "I'll make this simple. Hand over that Navigation Pixie of yours and we'll only kill you once. If you refuse, we'll make sure that you suffer death over and over again, ten times at the very least."

Rin glared at Yuji with all the hate she could muster. "You're not laying one hand on Luna."

"Very well then. Men, you know what to do."

At Yuji's command, all of the Sylph warriors around Rin and Naoki simultaneously charged at them with swords drawn.

"Rin, get down." Naoki said.

"Huh?"

"Just do it. Now."

Rin nodded and ducked down. Naoki lifted his sword off of his shoulder. The blade lit up with a red glow as he spun it around in a full circle. The legion of Sylph members were all blown away by the powerful swing and fell on the ground. As they slowly got to their feet, one of them charged at Naoki from behind. The male Salamander didn't even bat an eyes as he thrusted his sword back, impaling the Sylph player in the stomach. The player burned away into a green remain light.

Naoki stabbed his sword into the ground and grinned at Yuji. "You know pal, you should really learn how to treat a woman properly. Getting rough with them and forcing them to comply to your demands really isn't cool."

"Oh? And what would you know?" Yuji asked. "You got some pretty face of your own?"

"Not yet, sad to say." Naoki said. "But I'd rather be single my entire life than be a dirtbag like you."

"Big words. In that case, why don't you come up here and back up your talk."

"Gladly." Naoki grinned as he yanked out his sword and flew up at Yuji. "Just don't go crying to mommy when I'm done with you!"

Yuji let out an amused chuckle. "Kill him." At his order, the two Sylph warriors at his side flew down at Naoki and drew their swords.

They both swung their blades down at him simultaneously, but Naoki blocked the attack with his large sword. He pushed back, breaking both of their stances. Naoki delivered a powerful slash to one of them, sending them flying back into the side of the cliff. The male Salamander then grabbed the head of the second one and threw him at his friend. The two Sylphs collided and fell towards the ground.

"How's that? No more bodyguards to hide behind." Naoki said as he looked up at Yuji.

Yuji smirked as he pointed below Naoki. "You should really take a look at your friend."

A cry from Rin caught Naoki's attention as he turned around and looked back towards the ground, where two of Yuji's men were restraining Rin's arms.

"Why you… Let me go!" Rin yelled as she ducked down and swung her arms inwards, forcing both Sylphs to bash their heads into each other. She elbowed both of them and then sent one flying back with a kick. But the numbers were beginning to overwhelm her as they each got in slash after slash at Rin, lowering her HP.

"Rin!" Naoki exclaimed. He attempted to fly back down to help his friend but as he did, a sudden gust of wind surrounded him. Naoki looked around him, finding himself trapped in a ball of wind.

"Nice spell, isn't it?" Yuji smirked. "My high MP can hold you in there until my men deal with your friend. And once they're done killing her, they'll finish you off. Afterwards, we'll revive the girl over and over again, until she finally gives in."

"Damnit." Naoki growled as he pounded against the barrier. "Cowardly punks."

Rin breathed heavily as she tried to stand her ground against the multiple opponents she was dealing with. Her HP was already in the yellow, and she didn't know if she'd be able to handle this many players before her HP would give out.

"Rin… Are you ok?" Luna asked from her sister's breast pocket.

"Don't worry, Luna." Rin said. "I won't hand you over to these guys, no matter how many times they kill me."

"Give it up, girl. You don't stand a chance against us." one of the Sylphs said. "Lord Yuji can't be beaten by the likes of you."

"Is that so?" Rin asked. "Then why isn't he down here himself? Why is he hiding behind a bunch of goons that do his dirty work? Your Lord Yuji is a worthless coward, plain and simple."

"You will pay for that insult, girl." another one of them said as he readied to attack.

Rin braced herself for an attack as the Sylph charged at her. Before he reached her though, a sudden shadow seemed to speed past him, leaving a slash to the player's stomach in the process.

"What the… hell…?" he grunted as he fell over and burned away into a remain light. Behind him, Rin could see a lone player sheathing a katana at his waist. He turned around and looked at the group of Sylph players.

"Who's next?"

"Shade?!" Rin gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Who the hell are you, punk?!" one of the Sylphs asked. "You friends with her or something?"

"Not really." Shade said. "I just couldn't stand the sight of a bunch of losers acting all high and mighty."

"Why you little…" the other Sylphs all charged at Shade with the intent to kill. Shade didn't even seem to care as he nimbly leaped up and grabbed two of the Sylphs by their heads, smashing the two heads together. As the rest came in close, Shade seemed to flow past them with ease, delivering a slash with his katana to each player that he dodged. When he passed by all of them, he slowly sheathed his blade. When the weapon clicked into its sheath, all of the players simultaneously fell to the ground.

"Show-off." Naoki muttered.

Shade looked up towards the top of the cliff where Yuji was standing. "What will you do? Fight or run?"

Yuji gritted his teeth as he glared at Shade. He cancelled his spell on Naoki and quickly chanted another spell, firing a powerful tornado towards Shade. "Die!"

Shade quickly dodged the blast of wind as it came at him. Rin dug her feet into the ground to avoid getting blown away. When she looked at where Shade had been standing, she didn't find him there. Instead, she saw him running up alongside the side of the cliff. He used his wings to keep himself running up as he grabbed the hilt of his katana. He reached the top of the cliff and unsheathed the blade.

"Bastard!" Yuji roared as he reached for a rapier at his waist, but before he could, he found his arm slashed clean off by Shade's blade. Before he could even react, Shade moved past him, delivering a slash that severed him in two. Yuji fell over and burned away into a remain light.

"Pathetic." Shade muttered.

With the sight of their boss dead, the remaining Sylph players all ran away and retreated. Naoki descended onto the ground and rushed over to his friend. "You alright Rin?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rin said as she brushed some of the dirt off herself. "They got a few lucky slashes in, that's all."

Rin and Naoki watched as Shade leaped off from the cliff. He landed onto the ground and put his katana into its sheath. Not showing any emotion in his expression, he walked over to them.

"Thanks Shade. I guess we owe you one." Rin said as she rubbed the back of her head. "You really saved our butts there."

"Don't mention it." Shade said simply as he walked past them. Before he left, he paused for a moment. "Tell me, do you plan on entering the upcoming tournament?"

A grin came to Rin's face as she looked at him. "You bet! But if you're looking for members, I hate to break it to you but I've already got myself a team."

"You should quit."

Rin blinked her eyes in surprise as she wondered if she had heard Shade correctly. "What?"

"You should give up on the tournament." Shade said. "With your current strength, you have no chance at winning."

Rin's expression turned into a scowl as she glared at the Spriggan. "Excuse me?! Who do think you are?! I could take you right here and now and-"

"If we fought now, it would end just like the last time we fought." Shade said. "You don't posses the strength to win at your level."

Before Rin could get another word in, Shade spread his wings and took off. Rin clenched her fists tightly as Shade's words echoed in her mind. "That guy… I'll show him!" She shouted out into the distance. "You hear me Shade?! I'll make you eat those words at the tournament!"

Naoki grinned at the female Salamander. "Wow Rin. I'm surprised to see you so worked up. He really got under your skin, huh?"

Rin slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. "I'm gonna get a lot stronger by the time the tournament comes. And when I face Shade again, this time I'll be sure to win."

* * *

Shade flew into the woods of the area he had just took off from. He looked back towards where he had left Rin and her friend.

"I'm surprised Shade." a new voice said. Coming out from the shadows of another tree and standing on the branches was a female Imp. She had long indigo hair and wore a long kimono outfit. Slung across the back of her waist was a bow. "It's rare to see you take such an interest in another player. I thought you simply wanted to observe them. Does that girl intrigue you that much?"

"She has the potential to be strong." Shade said simply. "I just gave her a little push."

"Ah, so that's what those words were for."

"Who cares?" another player said, hanging upside down from one of the higher up branches. This one was a short male Sylph with dark green hair and a jet black, ninja-like outfit on. "Will they be a threat in the tournament or not?"

"... I can't say for sure." Shade said. "But regardless, we will be the ones to win. Team Moonshadow."

"Of course." the woman said with a smirk. "But I am interested to see how much stronger that girl will be when the tournament rolls around. Especially if you of all people took an interest in her."

"Enough. Let's go." Shade said. "We have a lot of preparing to do."

In the blink of an eye, the three players vanished from the branches they had been on and moved through the woods like shadows.

 **A/N: Hope you guys are excited for the upcoming tournament, as well as the return of Shade. Next chapter will be out in a week, so see you all then.**


	17. En Guard

**A/N: It's finally summer vacation for me, readers! I'm done with this semester of college, so I have plenty of free time now to write. As a result, I will be able to work on this and other fics much more frequently.**

Tetsuya sat at the kitchen table of his house. It was still early in the morning, but he was already wide awake. As he ate breakfast, he scrolled through the digital pad he had at the table.

Today was the an important day for him. It was what he had been training so hard for. It had been the reason he had skipped out on the ALO Annual Tournament. Today was the day of the fencing regional tournament. It was his chance at going to nationals.

Tetsuya still remembered when he had entered the regional tournament in his first year of high school. He had been doing fencing ever since middle school, but that had been his first time competing in the regional tournament. Sadly, it had ended with him not even coming close to winning. He could have blamed his loss on a lot of things, but the glaring fact was his lack of experience. That was why he had trained hard this year, all so he could win and make it to the national high school championship.

"Now Tetsuya, what could you be looking at? Your breakfast is getting cold." Shino said as she walked up to her son.

"Sorry mom." Tetsuya said as he went back to eating.

Looking at the tablet, Shino glanced at what her son was looking at. He was reading an article about another high school fencer. A smile came to her face. "Checking up on the competition, huh?"

"Something like that." Tetsuya said. "Yuuma Kazenki made it to nationals from the regional tournament here last year. He also made it pretty far in the nationals too. If I want to win, I'll have to face him eventually."

"I thought the top three in the regionals get to move on to nationals."

Tetsuya nodded his head. "That's true, but even if I make it to the top three and advance, I'll still need to face him at nationals."

Shino took a seat and looked at her son. "You know you have a pretty calm and collected face for someone competing in a big competition today. You must be calm."

"I am. No use in getting nervous, it'll only make me sloppy."

"Good. Or at least that's what I'd like to say, but I can tell you're not as calm as you'd like to be." Shino told him. Her son blinked at her in surprise, which cause Shino to shoot a knowing grin at him. "You're eyes give it away. I can see that you're still nervous."

Tetsuya let out a sigh. "You always seem to be able to see through me, mom."

"It's called being a mother." Shino said with a smile as she got up and walked over to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can do this, Tetsuya. So there's no need to be nervous."

A smile came to the blonde teen's face as he looked at his mother with a soft smile. "Thanks mom. I'll make sure to do my best."

"That's the spirit." Shino said. "You're father and I will be there to cheer you on. And your friends are coming too, aren't they?"

Tetsuya nodded his head. "Yeah. They said they'd come cheer for me."

"Then you'll have all the support you need." Shino said. "And I know you'll make it to nationals."

"Thanks mom." Tetsuya said with a smile.

* * *

"Are we almost there?" Rin asked as she walked with Lilly.

"I think so." Lilly said as she took another look at the map on her phone. "It says the stadium is only a few blocks from here." She looked at her shoulder. "Does that sound about right, Luna?"

"That's right." Luna said. "The address I searched should be on your left if you walk for another few minutes."

Rin and Lilly walked through the city streets as they tried to find where Tetsuya would be competing at. Attached to Lilly's shoulder was the probe device that Kazuto had given them for Luna to use a few weeks ago. The young AI had been curious about the fencing competition that Tetsuya was going to be competing in, so her sisters had brought the probe along so she could watch.

"I never really got fencing." Rin said as they walked. "It's just too… refined for me. I prefer something with more power and excitement like kendo."

"Fencing and kendo really aren't all that different when you break it down to the basics." Lilly said. She looked over at the probe on her shoulder. "Come to think of it, do you understand the rules of fencing, Luna."

"I believe so." Luna said. "I did a thorough search before we came here. Fencing was first introduced back in 19th century Europe, as a style of swordsmanship using a rapier type weapon classified into one of three types known as foil, epee, or sabre. Competitors try and score points by making contact with each other with their swords. It has been an event in the Olympic Games for a very long time, one of the first sports to be introduced in it in fact."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Rin said. "It's basically stab the other guy with your sword and you win."

Lilly let out a sigh. "That's about as much as you're going to understand, so yeah."

The three sisters continued making their way through the city streets. After another minute or so, they could see the building in the distance. Lilly pointed out to it. "There it is."

"I wonder if the others are already there." Rin said as they walked towards it.

Suddenly Lilly stopped and grabbed the edge of her sister's shirt. "Well I see where one of them is."

Curiously, Rin looked towards where her sister was looking towards. A loud groan overtook her at what she saw.

Over at a nearby bench where a small patch of flowers were, Naoki was chatting it up with a girl neither of them had ever seen before. If Rin and Lilly had to guess, he probably just found her randomly on the streets on his way to the stadium.

"Ugh, that idiot." Rin groaned.

"Who's that girl Naoki's talking to?" Luna asked. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Never seen her before." Lilly told her. "Knowing Naoki, he probably just met her a few minutes ago."

A sudden grin came to Rin's face. "Hey Lilly, you remember the last time Naoki hit on me in ALO about a week ago?"

"I remember you punching him into the side of a building." Lilly said.

Rin stretched her arms out as if she was about to exercise. "Time for a little payback."

"What are you going to do, Rin?" Luna asked.

"Just a little something I like to call 'Putting Naoki in his Place'." Rin said. "We've still got some time to kill before the competition starts."

Over by the bench, Naoki continued chatting it up with the girl at his side. Luckily, she seemed pretty dense so she was falling for his every word. A perfect catch for him.

"So then my dear" Naoki said as he held out a flower in front of the girl "How about you come with me. I know this lovely spot, one that's almost as beautiful as you."

The girl blushed as she sat next to Naoki. "Wow, quite the master of words, aren't you?"

"When I look at you, poetry just comes to my lips." Naoki told her.

She smiled, completely entranced by the red haired teen's words. "Tell me, what else do you like about me?"

"Your brea-" Naoki quickly coughed to cut himself off from saying what would have most definitely gotten him a slap in the face. "I-I mean your breathtaking voice." The girl giggled, completely unaware of what he was originally about to say. He let out a small sigh of relief in his mind as he continued. "I love the way your blonde hair sparkles like the sun, the way your lips entrance me so, the shimmer in those blue eyes of yours. He could tell by the look on her face that he had her hook line and sinker. "When I look at you I-"

"Naoki Gekido!"

Naoki inwardly groaned as he looked over and saw Rin storming over to him. "What the hell does she want? It's not like I'm late to the competition or anything."

Rin came up and glared at Naoki with her scarlet eyes. "I can't believe you! I take my eyes off of you for two seconds and I come over to find you flirting with another girl!"

"What?! Naoki exclaimed.

The blonde girl at Naoki's side looked over at him. "Naoki, who's this?"

"She's-"

"I'm the one he said was his soulmate!" Rin said, not even giving him a chance to explain. "You told me I was the only one for you! How you thought I was the prettiest girl on the planet and no one could even come close!"

The other girl gasped. "He said the exact same thing to me!"

"Ugh, how dare you Naoki!" Rin said in disgust. "You've got some nerve trying to manipulate our emotions like that!"

Naoki looked back over at the other girl he was with. "Hold on! It's not what it-" He was cut off by a slap to the face from the other girl.

"Hmph, I thought you were a good guy Naoki. Looks like I was wrong. Goodbye jerk." With that said, she stormed off, leaving Naoki on the ground as he held his cheek in pain.

As he sat back up, Naoki looked at Rin with a scowl. "What the hell was that about, Rin? I had her in the palm of my hand."

"That was for the last time you tried to hit on me."

"So you had to go ahead and make all that stuff up?!"

"Excuse me, I didn't lie at all. You've said every single one of those things to me, and god only knows how many other girls." Rin reminded him. Naoki sighed as he stared down at the ground, knowing she was right. Rin patted him on the back. "Buck up. That girl was the type to only be interested in a guy that complimented her all the time and bought her shiny stuff. I just saved you and your wallet a world of pain."

After Naoki was done sulking, Rin brought him with her and Lilly as they walked over to the stadium. As they walked into the lobby, they found Yui, Strea, and Sayaka waiting for them.

"Alright, everyone's here." Yui said. "Let's hurry up and get some good seats."

The group all went to the stands and sat down together. Bit by bit, seats began to fill up as the time until the competition started drew near. Finally the time came and all of the people competing came out and stood together. In total, there were about sixty or so students from varying high schools in the area that were competing.

"Lilly, how does the competition work?" Luna asked from her shoulder. "I thought it was a tournament bracket system, but there aren't the right amount of people for it."

"No, that doesn't happen until the national tournament." Lilly explained. "During the regionals, you're opponent is picked randomly for your first match. Afterwards, your possible opponents are pooled out based on your win and lose ratio. Each person competes in a total of ten matches, and the top three are selected to move on to nationals."

"But with so many people, won't there be several ties for first through third?"

"Not exactly." Yui said. "It's not a cut and dry win loss ratio. Your wins and losses also matter based on the scores of who you've beaten or lost to. For example, losing to someone who scored really high doesn't hurt your overall score as much as losing to someone who lost almost every single match. When everything's factored together, there are actually very few instances of ties for the top three spots."

"That sounds way too complicated for me." Strea said. "But I guess it doesn't matter as long as Tetsuya wins all of his matches."

"That's one way to look at it I guess." Lilly commented dryly.

"Don't worry guys. I can tell you how well he's doing during the tournament." Naoki assured them.

"Seriously?" Rin asked. "You of all people understand this?"

"Hey, give me some credit. Tetsuya and I are best friends." Naoki told them. "I helped study this format with him back when he entered for the first time last year. I more or less get how things work."

After a few minutes, the opening ceremony finished and the first round started. It wasn't long before Tetsuya was up at one of the mats. The blonde teen's parents could be heard cheering for him, like any proud parents would. Rin and the others cheered him on as well with all of their heart.

"Woo! Go Tetsuya!" Rin cheered. "You got this!"

"Keep up the pressure!" Yui called out.

"We're behind you all the way!" Liily added.

"Go Tetsuya!" Luna cheered from the probe.

Naoki watched the match silently as his friends cheered. He was probably one of the few of them that could appreciate how much skill Tetsuya had for fencing. The two of them had been best friends for as long as he could remember. He had watched him practice plenty of times, so Naoki knew just how hard Tetsuya worked. He had even bowed out of the ALO Annual Tournament for this.

' _You just make sure you win, Tetsuya.'_ Naoki thought silently. ' _And in return, I'll make sure we win the ALO tournament.'_

Tetsuya's movements were quick and smooth. He backed away from a thrust from his opponent, then quickly went on the offensive, attacking with a series of lightning quick thrusts. It didn't take long before his epee hit its mark.

"Point to Tetsuya Makengo." the referee announced. "Winner of the match, Tetsuya Makengo."

"Yeah Tetsuya! You show 'em how it's done!" Strea cheered.

"His time in ALO has really helped." Yui pointed out. "His speed with that epee is incredible."

After shaking hands with his opponent, Tetsuya removed his headgear and walked over to his friends. He looked up at them and waved. "Hey guys. Glad you could make it."

"Of course. No way we'd miss the chance to see you kick butt." Rin grinned.

Tetsuya let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "Come on Rin. There's plenty of skilled fencers here besides me."

"You got that right, kid." Tetsuya turned around to see another student walk up to him. He had messy black hair and a smug grin on his face. "You're not bad, but someone like you has no chance at making it to nationals."

Strea glared at the new appearance and called down to him. "And just who are you, pal?! What do you know about Tetsuya?!"

"I can answer that." Tetsuya said. "Mamoru Kojikoki, third year at Miyagi High School. The very same high school that Yuuma Kazenki goes to."

Mamoru smirked at him. "So you've heard of me. Then you know that people like me and Yuuma are in a whole other league compared to chumps like you."

"That's quite enough of that, Mamoru." another voice said. Both Mamoru and Tetsuya turned to see another male with jet black hair and blue eyes. "There's no need to antagonize the competition. The difference in skill will be seen on the field."

Tetsuya widened his eyes as he looked at the person standing before him. "Yuuma… Kazenki…"

"Hmph. As usual, you're too soft, Yuuma." Mamoru said. "Keep that up, and I'll end up zooming right past you at nationals."

"Keep running your mouth and you might not even make it to nationals." Yuuma said.

Mamoru glared at him before scoffing and walking away. "Don't let last year go to your head. I won't be second to you forever."

Yuuma watched as Mamoru walked away before sighing to himself. He turned back to Tetsuya and showed a polite smile. "I apologize for Mamoru there. He tends to try and mess with the heads of his opponents."

"You're Yuuma Kazenki… right…?" Tetsuya said.

Yuuma nodded his head. "Yes that's right. I saw your match just now. Very impressive, Tetsuya was it?"

"Y-Yes. Tetsuya Makengo." the blonde teen nodded.

"Hey pal, Tetsuya's gonna kick your butt out there!" Strea called out from the stands.

"Strea, keep your voice down! Geez!" Yui said as she quickly held her sister back and held a hand over her mouth.

A grin came to Yuuma's face. "You sure seem to have some interesting friends."

Tetsuya rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed blush on his face. "Please don't mind Strea there. She just tends to get caught up in the moment."

Yuuma nodded his head understandingly. "Well let's see if her prediction comes true. I look forward to seeing if we face off during the regional tournament, Tetsuya. See you around."

"R-Right. Until then." Tetsuya stuttered. As Yuuma walked away, Tetsuya gave a glance towards Strea, who simply shrugged in response.

"Sorry about Strea." Yui apologized. "I'll try and keep her under control."

Tetsuya looked back over towards Yuuma. Such a skilled fencer in the regional tournament actually complimented him. Tetsuya's grip on his epee tightened. ' _I'll just have to make sure I live up to those expectations.'_

The day went on with matches continuing one after another. Tetsuya fought through each of them with on par skill and refinement. Several other competitors were making themselves known in the standings, most notably Mamoru, as well as Yuuma. When the time for the ninth match came, Tetsuya had eight wins and one loss.

And he steeled his resolve when he saw his next opponent was Mamoru Kojikoki.

The match showed both of their skills as fencers. Mamoru had managed to get in the first point, but Tetsuya quickly responded by scoring the next two points. Mamoru then got the next one, tying them up at two. Finally it was time for the last face off between the two of them. The next one to get a point in would win.

"You're better than I gave you credit for." Mamoru admitted. "But this is where it ends. I won't let you beat me."

"Save it for after you win." Tetsuya said with a smirk as he took his stance.

"Allez!" the referee announced as both Tetsuya and Mamoru sped at each other.

Mamoru started things off with a thrust, but Tetsuya quickly parried and attempted to go in for a strike at the head. Mamoru quickly tilted his head away, the epee just barely passing by him. He quickly fell back a few steps, but Tetsuya gave chase. He attacked with a series of strikes, with Mamoru doing everything he could to dodge. Just as it seemed Tetsuya had it won, Mamoru quickly parried his next thrust. Tetsuya lost his balance slightly and Mamoru took the opportunity to go in for the offensive as he launched a thrust at his opponent. Tetsuya quickly recovered however and managed to step back out of range from the thrust.

"Damn, look at that footwork!" Lilly gasped. "Tetsuya's so light on his feet!"

"Considering how hard he's been training, I'm not surprised." Naoki said.

With his missed thrust, Mamoru lost his balance from the momentum. Tetsuya went in and quickly delivered a thrust at Mamoru, his epee touching his shoulder.

"Point Tetsuya Makengo!" the referee declared. "Tetsuya Makengo wins the match!"

Rin and the others cheered from the stands at their friend's victory. Naoki smiled at his friend. One more round. That was all that was left. He was so close to making it to nationals. Naoki knew just how much that dream meant to Tetsuya. This was his chance to do it.

"Um… Naoki? Naoki?"

"Huh?" Naoki turned his head towards Sayaka, who was sitting right next to him. "What's up Sayaka? Something wrong?"

"Well… your hand." Sayaka said with a blush on her face. "You've been holding my hand the entire match."

Naoki glanced down, realizing she was right. He quickly let go of Sayaka's hand. "Sorry Sayaka. I didn't realize it. Too focussed in Tetsuya's match."

"R-Right. I understand." Sayaka nodded.

"You know, I could keep holding it if you want." Naoki said with a grin.

"Wh-What?!"

"This isn't the time or place for your fun and games, pervert." Rin told him. "You want me to bash him over the head, Sayaka?"

"Not entirely sure this is the time or place for that either, sis." Lilly commented.

Sayaka shook her head. "N-No. It's fine Rin. Really."

Naoki grinned at Sayaka. "Thanks Sayaka. Keep up the nice treatment and I might just fall for you next though."

A deep red blush came to Sayaka's cheeks. "Wh-What?!"

"Naoki…"

"Kidding! Kidding!" Naoki said as he held his hands up in defense. "Geez Rin, take a joke."

Yui quickly hushed both of them. "Quiet you guys. I think the last round is starting."

The group quickly fell silent and looked down where Tetsuya was standing across from his next opponent. They all gulped as they saw who his opponent was. Yuuma Kazenki.

Tetsuya took a deep breath as he stood across from Yuuma. He had never recalled being this nervous in his entire life. He had read plenty of articles about Yuuma, known as the Shadow Piercer. His moves were so quick and sudden that he sometimes made contact with his opponents before they realized it.

"May it be a good match." Yuuma said as he put his mask on and got into his starting position.

Tetsuya nodded his head and did the same. "Likewise."

The second the match started, Yuuma immediately went on the offensive. Tetsuya barely reacted in time to step back away from it before the tip of Yuuma's epee could make contact. Tetsuya found himself already short of breath from that one strike. Clearly the rumors about his speed hadn't been exaggerations.

"I'm impressed. Not many have been able to dodge my beginning surprise attack." Yuuma said. "Looks like this might be interesting."

Tetsuya quickly tightened his grip on his epee. He couldn't let himself feel exhausted already. His goal wasn't just to make it to nationals. It was also to beat Yuuma. "I'll show you what I'm capable of, Yuuma."

The match went on with an exchange of swift thrusts between Tetsuya and Yuuma. Everyone watching the match was silenced as they seemed entranced by the lightning fast movements of the two. Those that had finished their final round matches already walked over to watch. But Tetsuya didn't even notice them. His sole focus was on Yuuma and his epee. Everything else around him didn't exist. As the match went on though, it was slowly becoming clear at the difference in their abilities. Tetsuya was holding his own, but Yuuma was still winning, with him only needing one point left to win.

Tetsuya knew he had to put everything he had into his attack. Out of nowhere, he came forward and went in for a thrust at Yuuma's head, who quickly tilted and dodged it. Tetsuya then went in for a thrust at his opponent's center, but Yuuma quickly moved his epee to parry it. Under his mask, Tetsuya grinned as his plan fell into place. With a sudden motion, Tetsuya countered Yumma's parry and caused him to lose his balance slightly. Tetsuya quickly went in for a thrust, scoring a point off of Yuuma.

"Point, Tetsuya Makengo!" the referee declared.

Yuuma found himself stunned at Tetsuya's surprising combo. He found himself smiling from the enjoyment of the match. He quickly got back into his stance along with Tetsuya and the two went at it again at the call of the referee.

Tetsuya put up a good fight as he tried to score another point off of Yuuma. But his opponent wasn't willing to go down so easily. The quick sudden thrusts from Yuuma came one after another, finally scoring the last point he needed off of him.

"Point, Yuuma Kazenki! Winner of the match, Yuuma Kazenki!"

Cheers and applause came from the crowd and the other competitors around them. Tetsuya removed his headgear as Yuuma walked over to him and reached out his hand. "That was a great match, Tetsuya. You did well."

"Thanks." Tetsuya said with a smile. "But I still have a long way to go."

"I hope to see you at nationals." Yuuma told him. "Good luck." With that said, he turned around and walked away.

Tetsuya let out a sigh. Eight wins and two loses. It wasn't bad by any means, but it still didn't guarantee him a spot in the top three moving onto nationals. He would just have to wait and see how his score at the end was.

Once all of the matches were finished, the judges came out and read off the names of the top three. "The three fencers moving onto the Japanese High School Fencing Championship are… Yuuma Kazenki." A large applause came for Yuuma, though no one doubted that he had made it. With a perfect straight win of ten, there was no way he hadn't. "Next we have… Misaki Narumi." The crowd applauded the one known as Misaki, a female second-year with long black hair. "And finally we have…"

' _Please.'_ Tetsuya silently begged.

After a long pause, the judge called out the name. "Tetsuya Makengo."

Rin and the others cheered loudly to congratulate their friend. Tetsuya's face gradually carved into a smile as the realization came to him. He had made it to nationals.

With the regional tournament over, people slowly began to leave the building. Once he had finished changing out of his fencing gear, Tetsuya walked out to the lobby and found his friends waiting for him. Naoki was the first to congratulate him as he offered him a high five which he gratefully accepted.

"Way to go Tetsuya!" Strea cheered as she put an arm around his shoulder. "We knew you could do it!"

"Thanks Strea." Tetsuya said. "All of you guys. Thanks for coming here. It meant a lot."

"Of course. Anything for a friend." Yui told him with a smile. "We're always there to support each other."

As Tetsuya chatted with his friends, he noticed his parents come over to him. Shino smiled at her son. "Well done, Tetsuya. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." Tetsuya said with an embarrassed blush.

Shirou gave his son a pat on the back. "You did good today Tetsuya. Great work."

Tetsuya nodded and turned back to his friends. "Well I gotta get going guys. See you around."

"Bye Tetsuya." Luna said from Lilly's shoulder. "You were awesome today."

A smile came to the blonde teen's face. "Thanks Luna."

"Say hi to your parents for me, everyone." Shino said as she waved goodbye with Tetsuya and her husband.

With the family of three gone, Rin and the others began to head for the train station to head back home. As they walked together, they all talked about Tetsuya's performance today.

"That was so exciting." Luna said. "I've never seen Tetsuya move like that."

"Well he made it to nationals. Now we just have to hope he wins there too." Rin said. "As for us, we need to make sure we win our own tournament coming up."

"There's only a week left." Yui pointed out. "We'll have to make sure we train hard."

"We will." Lilly nodded. "And we'll win."

"Aw yeah! Team Black Firestorm is gonna take home the gold!" Strea grinned.

"Popularity and fame." Naoki grinned. "All the ladies will line up at my feet." He noticed his friends stopped walking and turned around to see them all giving him disgusted looks. "What? A guy can have a goal, can't he?"

"Pervert." they all said together.

Despite Naoki's pleas of argument, he was soundly ignored by the rest of his friends. He was left moaning at the lack of respect they seemed to have for him, but for the life of him he couldn't understand why.

 **A/N: As usual, I hope you all liked the chapter. I'll admit now that I don't know all the specifics for the rules of fencing, or their tournament format. I apologize now for any incorrections there were in the chapter.**


	18. Mighty Five

**A/N: Hello readers, it's time for another chapter of Blazing Generations. This chapter will introduce a new set of characters, and I'm sure you will like all of them.**

 **Miku and Apollo, as well as Neko and Jinketsu, belong to Marcus Cersy, the writer for Arctic Swordsman, and Kagero was a joint character we made up together. For any of you that haven't read his work yet, I highly suggest checking it out. It is a great story.**

Days had passed by as the time for the ALO Annual Tournament drew closer and closer. Nearly a total of one hundred and sixty teams had been formed and entered for the tournament. Some were small parties of players that were already good friends. Others were from large guilds that had entered multiple teams. There were even a few made up from the military of certain fairy races, in hopes of bringing honor to their race.

"Yui? Yui?!"

"Huh?" Yui looked up from her tablet to see her sister Strea staring at her. "Sorry about that, Strea. Was there something you needed?"

"I was asking if you wanted to do some training today." Strea said. "The tournament's in two days after all."

Yui nodded her head in response. "Sure. Anyone else coming along?"

"Well Rin and Lilly said they'd be able to join us." Strea said. "I think Naoki said he'd be on early today, so he might meet up with us."

"Alright then. We'll have the full team together." Yui grinned. "We should try and see what info we can all dig up on the other teams. We'll have an edge if we know what we're up against."

A chuckle came from the kitchen. "You're starting to sound like me when I was your age, Yui."

Yui looked over into the kitchen and saw her father sitting at the table. A grin came to her face. "Well you did teach me everything I know about fighting with a sword. I guess it runs in the family."

"Just try not to be TOO similar to your father." Asuna said with a smile as she washed the dishes. "I'd prefer it if you and Strea didn't pick up any of his bad habits."

"Like what?" Kazuto argued.

"Well let's see. There's your clumsy personality, your inability to make any type of dish other than salad, your love for horror movies-"

"Those don't have anything to do with fighting!" Kazuto complained.

Asuna gave a teasing smile to her husband. "Honestly, when it comes to that the most I can hope for is that she doesn't inherit your crazy war cry."

"What crazy war cry?"

"Did you ever listen to yourself back in the day when you were fighting? You'd yell like a crazy lunatic as you swung your sword around."

"I did not!"

"Actually you kinda did, dad." Yui said. "I remember it clearly too."

"Seriously?!"

"Really? What did it sound like?" Strea asked with her eyes gleaming in interest. "Come on! I wanna know!"

"Let me think. It went a little something like this." Asuna said as she cleared her throat. "Raaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Kazuto blinked his eyes in surprise. "Did I really do that?"

Yui shook her head. "No way mom, it was more like 'Huuuurrraaaaaaahhhhh'!"

Kazuto frowned as he looked at his wife and daughter. "Ok, now you two are just mocking me."

Strea giggled as she hugged her father. "Well I bet you sounded really cool dad."

Kazuto showed a proud grin as he put an arm around Strea. "See? Someone who appreciates me."

Yui and Asuna both narrowed their eyes at the father-daughter duo. Yui took a look up at the kitchen clock, noticing the time. "We should probably log on soon, Strea. It's getting close to the meetup time."

Asuna watched as both of her daughter headed upstairs to their rooms. "Have fun you two! Be safe!"

Yui and Strea both sat on their beds and quickly fitted their Amu Sphere's over their heads. They called out the words to enter the virtual world.

"Link Start!"

* * *

Yui and Strea both logged in as they woke up in the house Kirito and Asuna had owned on Floor 22. After their parents had left the world of Alfheim, they had left the house for Yui and Strea to both use, even though it acted as little more than a base of operations now.

Yui still recalled back to the days when she would play with her parents, then come back to this house to relax, and fall asleep together. Those times were long gone now, but she still treasured them.

The two sisters walked out of the house and flew off to the distance towards the teleport gate. Once there, they teleported to Yggdrasil City. As the two of them walked through the city, Yui noticed how busy it seemed. She could only assume it was due to the excitement of the upcoming tournament.

"Well look who it is. Long time no see."

Both Yui and Strea turned their heads to see a female Salamander walking over to them. She had red hair tied up into a long ponytail, and scarlet red eyes. Sheathed at her waist was a one-handed longsword with a two-handed grip. Her clothing was all lightweight. She had a leather breastplate that covered most of her fairly large chest, and pads along the upper half of her arms. Brown boots were strapped to her feet.

"Hey Kagero!" Strea said with a smile. "How's it going?"

"Pretty well I suppose." Kagero answered. "I've been getting ready for the upcoming tournament."

"You mean you're entering?" Yui asked. "I would have thought you'd be busy with kendo."

"The training camp for my school doesn't start until towards the end of summer." she explained. "Besides, I'd say fighting in a big tournament like this can double as training."

"That's our cousin, alright. Always ready for a challenge." Strea grinned.

Kagero, also known as Erika Kirigaya in the real world, was the cousin of Yui and Strea. Her mother was Kazuto's sister Suguha, and just like her mother she was a badass in kendo. She had been in the national tournament two years in a row now, and had made it pretty far both times.

Kagero looked at her cousins. "So I take it you're both entering the tournament too?"

Yui nodded her head. "Sorry. If we had known you'd be entering, we would have asked you to join our team."

"Yeah, but we already had to cut down to get only five members." Strea reminded her sister. "As much as I'd like a badass like Kagero on our team, that wouldn't be fair to the others."

"True, though she is going to make a fierce competitor." Yui said. "She's just as strong as Aunt Sugu was, maybe even better."

A sudden scowl came to Kagero's face. "First of all, could you not mention my mother. And second, you two don't need to worry about me. As it stands, I've already got myself a team."

"Really?" Yui asked. "Who is it?"

"It's-"

"Kagero! There you are!"

Yui and Strea saw a pair of players, one male and one female, coming over in their direction as the female one waved while showing an eager grin on her face. The girl was an Imp with midnight blue hair styled in a ponytail that was tied neatly and fell just to her shoulders. Her eyes were an amethyst purple. She had a purple breastplate over her white sleeveless tunic, and a pleated schoolgirl-like skirt with white trims along the bottom. On her feet were a pair of plimpsoles and on her hands were fingerless gloves, both pairs being a white color.

The male with her was from the Leprechaun race and had silver hair with streaks of a midnight blue color in it. His eyes were a blue color, similar to the galaxy blue trench coat he wore. The coat had silver outlines and trims, and white dots decorating it in shapes like stars. His pants, boots, and gloves were all a black color. He was a tank-type player, if the shield and axe on his back was any indication.

As the two ran over to Kagero, they noticed Yui and Strea at her side. A smile came to the girl's face as she waved. "Yui! Strea! It's been awhile!"

"Hey Miku." Yui greeted with a smile. "I see you and Apollo are as inseparable as ever."

"Well someone's gotta look after Apollo, and if his big sister can't do it then who can?" Miku said.

Apollo had a knowing grin on his face. "That and the fact that you'd have gotten lost ten times by now if I wasn't here to guide you."

"Oh hush you." Miku said as she elbowed her brother in the gut to silence him.

Miku and Apollo, or Mika and Taro as they were called in the real world, were a pair of siblings that Yui and Strea, as well as their friends, had known since they were kids. Their parents were both SAO Survivors. Marcus and Sarah, better known as Ion and Angel back in the time of the death game, had fought on the front lines with their parents, and they had all grown to be good friends. Naturally, their kids had all grown to be friends as well.

Strea looked over at Kagero. "So is this the team you mentioned?"

"You better believe it!" Miku grinned. "With Kagero, us, and two more members, we're the team that's gonna take the tournament by storm! The Mighty Five!"

"Mighty Five?" Yui questioned.

Kagero let out a sigh. "Don't look at me. It wasn't my idea."

"It's simple and straightforward." Miku grinned proudly. "We're the strongest five players in ALO, so it only makes sense we call ourselves something like that."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Yui said.

"I think it sounds awesome!" Strea said.

"I know, right?" Miku agreed. "So what about you guys? Who's on your team?"

"Rin and Lilly, as well as Naoki." Yui told her. She caught sight of two players in the distance. "Speaking of Rin and Lilly, here they come now."

A few blocks down, Rin and Lilly caught sight of Yui and the others. They both waved and ran over to them. "Hey Miku and Apollo. Haven't seen you guys in awhile."

"Nice to see you both too." Miku greeted. "So what's new with you guys?"

Suddenly, Luna poked her head out of Rin's breast pocket. "Rin, who are these players? I don't recognize them."

The sudden appearance of Luna caused Miku and Apollo to jump back in surprise. Miku blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "No way, is that a Navigation Pixie?! How'd you score one of those?!"

"It's a bit of a long story." Rin said as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Luna here isn't exactly a normal Navigation Pixie. She's also our sister."

"Sister?!" Miku asked with widened eyes. "Since when do you two have another sister?"

"Where should I begin… umm…" Rin tried to think of a simple way to explain the complicated story of how Luna came into their lives, but she was coming up with nothing.

"She's an AI like me." Yui explained. "She doesn't have a human body yet, so she's acting as the Navigation Pixie for our party at the moment."

"I'm Luna." Luna smiled as flew out and hovered in front of Miku and Apollo. "It's nice to meet you."

"Y-Yeah. Nice to meet you too." Miku nodded as she and Apollo tried to wrap their heads around this.

Suddenly an idea came to Apollo's head. "Hey Miku, I just thought of something! You know that dungeon we've been trying to get to the end of? Maybe Luna could help."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Miku realized. She looked back over at Luna and her sisters. "Are you guys still free today?"

"Sure." Lilly nodded. "We weren't planning on doing anything specific."

"In that case, do you think you could help us? There's this metal we're trying to get, but it's at the back of this super tricky dungeon. Do you think you could come with us, so Luna could help?"

"Sounds good to us." Rin said. "We're always up for an adventure."

"Awesome, with all of us here, we've got seven people." Miku grinned.

"Sorry, but I can't go." Kagero said. "I've got to logout soon for the day."

Miku frowned. "Seriously? Aw well, I guess it can't be helped."

"Sorry again." Kagero told them. "Maybe another time."

The group watched as Kagero walked away. Miku sighed to herself. "Great, now what do we do? There's no way we can tackle this dungeon without a full party of seven."

"There's always Neko or Jinketsu." Apollo suggested.

"Neko's busy today, and I don't think Jinketsu said he'd be on until later." Miku said.

"Let's try someone from our group then." Yui suggested. She opened her menu and looked at her friend's list. "Well Naoki and Sayaka are both online."

"As much as I'd like to see Apollo bash Naoki over the head again after the last time he tried to flirt with me, I say we go with Sayaka." Miku said. "Having a healer would be a big help anyway."

"Alright then. I'll go ahead and message her." Yui said.

* * *

The dungeon Miku had mentioned was deep in Leprechaun territory, inside a coal mine themed cave. Bat monsters and golems were the main type of enemies that spawned around. After bringing Sayaka along, the group all headed out for the dungeon.

The inside of the cave was dark, except for the torch lamps guiding the way. Monster drops included various metals, all perfect for smithing. But the metal in particular that Miku and Apollo were looking for rested deep in the end of the cave.

"So what do you need this metal for anyway?" Rin asked as they walked.

"I'm working on forging a new sword for Miku." Apollo explained. "I'm trying to get a specific shape for it, and this metal is what I need to get it."

"And it's at the end of this dungeon?" Sayaka asked.

Miku nodded her head. "But the problem is there's this really powerful boss monster guarding it. We can't last long enough to wear down its HP."

"So you need Luna to give you a hand with figuring out its attack patterns." Lilly realized. "That way, dodging it becomes a whole lot easier."

"Exactly."

"I'll do whatever I can to help." Luna said with a smile as she sat on Lilly's shoulder.

"Thanks Luna." Miku said gratefully. "I really appreciate this."

"Don't sweat it. We're friends after all." Rin said.

As they walked, Apollo took a look at his map. "We're getting closer. The boss room is just up ahead."

Another minute or so passed before the group came in front of a large dark entrance. They could all tell the warning signs of 'Boss room up ahead' in their minds. Yui addressed the party. "Alright, let's take this opportunity to apply buffs."

"Leave it to me." Sayaka said. She recited multiple spells, applying several buffs to the party.

After Sayaka was done, Apollo stepped up. "Let me help too." With surprising quickness, he recited spell after spell, applying another layer of buffs to the party.

Lilly blinked her eyes in surprise. "Wow Apollo. I can't believe how quickly you recited those incantations. You must know Alfheim's language really well."

Apollo rubbed the back of his head modestly. "It's nothing special. I just end up using them so often that I've learned to quickly recite most of my buffing spells."

"That's my little bro for you." Miku grinned. "Alright now, let's do this people!"

"Yeah!" the group cheered in unison.

Rin and the others slowly walked into the room. It was extremely dark, and hard to see anything. But as they walked, the room quickly became illuminated by torches. Looking around the room, crystals were coming out from the walls and ceiling. But most of the group's focus was on the giant behemoth standing on the other side of the room.

It was a large golem monster. Colorful crystals stuck out from its body. Two ruby gems acted as its eyes as it stared down at the players before it. A loud muffled roar came from it as the entire room began to shake slightly. Once the quake stopped, three health bars appeared at the side of the boss with its name being read up top. The Crystallized Giant.

Rin crackled her knuckles as a grin came to her face. "Alright then. Let's kick some butt."

"Magic seems to have the most effect on it." Apollo told the party.

"Leave it to me then." Lilly said as she stepped back and readied her Elemental Pistol spell. "Just make sure you keep that thing's aggro."

Everyone but Lilly and Sayaka all charged in at the boss. Luna stayed behind with Lilly to ascertain the boss's attack patterns from a safe distance. "Smash attack incoming! It'll send a shockwave forward for thirty meters!"

"Got it!" Rin confirmed as she and the others saw the golem reel its fist back. They all leaped to the side to avoid the punch from the boss. A huge cloud of debris kicked forward, but didn't go far enough to reach Lilly and Sayaka.

"Now Sayaka!" Lilly called out. The Cait Sith snapped her fingers multiple times, sending a barrage of flaming projectiles towards the boss while Sayaka launched a blast of ice at it. The boss felt the attack hit it, sending its health down a bit. Its eyes looked towards the two girls that had attacked it and it began to move towards them.

"Where do you think you're looking, pal?!" Rin yelled as she and the others rushed in and hacked away at the boss with their weapons. Rin backflipped away to get some distance. "Apollo, kneel down for a sec!"

Following Rin's orders, Apollo fell to one knee as Rin ran towards him. She used him as a stepping stone and jumped up towards the boss. Rin reeled her fist back as it glowed with a bright red light. "Take this!"

The force of Rin's punch caused the boss to stumble back a bit. As it did, Miku quickly recited a spell. When she finished, she waved her hand and a violet whip-like blast came out from it, dealing even more damage to the boss. It forgot about Lilly and Sayaka and began attack Rin and the others.

The fight waged on for a long while. Thirty minutes passed by before the boss's health hit half of its total value. By that time however, fatigue was beginning to set in for the group.

"What the hell is thing thing made out of, diamond?" Rin wondered as she and the others up front tried to catch their breath.

From the back, Sayaka called out to her friends. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up everyone! I'm almost out of mana potions!"

"Damnit…" Miku muttered. "Are we really going to lose again?"

"This makes no sense." Strea said as she breathed heavily. "This thing has way too much defense to be just a regular boss. It's practically the equivalent of a raid boss's."

Suddenly Apollo widened his eyes. "Of course! Why didn't I realize it before?!"

Yui looked towards the male Leprechaun. "What is it? Did you figure something out?"

"Strea's right. This boss is too powerful for a regular dungeon boss." Apollo said. "At least if it could only be damaged normally."

Yui's eyes widened as she realized where he was going. "I get it. You're saying there must be some kind of trick to dealing it lots of damage."

"Precisely." Apollo nodded. He called back towards Lilly. "Lilly, try and see if you can find anything in the room that might be of some use! Anything out of the ordinary that could help damage the boss!"

Lilly quickly scanned the room, looking for something that could work. If Apollo's theory was correct, there was something here they would be able to use. But no matter what, all she could see was rocks and crystals sticking out of the walls.

' _Wait! That's it!'_ Lilly gasped. She called out to her friends. "Guys, try and lead it to the center of the room! I've got an idea!"

"You got it!" Miku said as she attacked with another violet whip of magic. She got the boss's attention as she ran towards the room's center. Once they had got it there, Lilly turned to Sayaka at her side. "Alright Sayaka. Try and hit it with a freezing spell."

"Wh-What? But with something that big, I'll only be able to hold it for a couple of seconds." Sayaka said.

"That'll be fine, just do it."

"O-Ok." Sayaka nodded. She quickly recited a spell and soon several lines of blue flew out from her staff. They all collided with the boss, covering parts of it in ice.

Lilly glanced towards her familiar. "Alright Nikko. Time for a fire boost." The small dragon nodded and blew out a breath of red dust that surrounded Lilly, giving her a boost in her fire magic. "Here we go Sayaka. Aim a spell at the crystals on the ceiling, right above the boss."

"Right. Leave it to me." Sayaka said. She chanted a spell that formed several icicles at her side, and fired all of them at the spot Lilly had instructed her to. At the same time, Lilly snapped her fingers over and over again, firing every last bit of ammo she had from her spell at the same spot. The two spells blasted the ceiling, causing several of the crystals to break off and fall down towards the ground.

"Hurry guys! Get out of there!" Lilly yelled.

Yui and the others all saw the crystals falling and quickly ran away, not wanting to be caught in the avalanche. The crystals and rocks pelted the boss from above, each one taking away a chunk of its health. When it finally ended, the boss was left with only about half a health bar of HP left.

"Now's our chance! Finish it off!" Yui called out.

Everyone charged at the boss, hacking away at its HP as much as they could. Lilly sent wave after wave of magic attacks while Sayaka healed everyone to let them focus solely on finishing off the boss. Miku also used her own magic attacks, finally depleting the rest of her mana. With no mana left to use magic, she reached towards her waist and pulled out a one-handed sword. She slashed at the boss, hacking away more of its health. Only a small silver was left.

"This-" Miku said as she went in for one final attack, her sword lighting up with a violet glow. "-is the end!"

The Imp's sword skill ripped through the rock hard boss. It let out a cry of pain before slowly falling backwards. The colossal monster hit the ground with a loud thud, and finally shattered into fragments.

Everyone took a moment to catch their breath from the exhausting boss fight. Slowly, a grin came to Miku's face as the realization of their victory hit her. She jumped up and raised her fist into the air. "We did it! Finally!"

Everyone smiled at Miku's excitement. It was only natural after all. The metal they had worked so hard for was finally theirs. They were close to completing their mission.

Apollo walked up to the end of the room and tapped some of the rocks and stones there, adding them to his inventory. "Yep, this is the stuff we're looking for. There's some other rare metals too."

Yui sheathed her two swords onto her back. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I say we head back for now. There should be a place at Arun for us to forge Miku's new sword."

Everyone nodded in agreement and they all walked out of the dungeon, heading back to town with their heads held high.

* * *

At the capital city of Arun, there was an open workshop for players that had blacksmithing skills but didn't own their own shop. For someone like Apollo, it was an ideal place. Although he had put points into blacksmithing, he was still firstly a fighter so he didn't have the need or time to run a smithing shop.

"Alright, let's hope this works." Apollo said as he brought out the metal. The Leprechaun brought out his hammer and began hitting the metal in rhythm. The others watched silently as the ringing sound of the hammer hitting against the metal chimed over and over again.

After several hits to the metal, it suddenly began to glow. Everyone watched curiously while Miku clasped her hands together and prayed for it to be what she was hoping for. The metal slowly began to change shape, turning into the form of a one-handed longsword. Everyone gasped at the beautifully sparkling sword.

The grip was a black color with a diamond pattern along it. Separating the grip from the metal was a violet crossguard. The blade itself was a beautiful shade of dark-violet with a jagged edge at the beginning of it right after the crossguard.

Yui couldn't help but feel as though the style of the sword seemed familiar for some reason. She soon widened her eyes, recognizing where she had seen it before. "Isn't this…"

"Yep." Miku nodded. "It looks a lot like the sword used by the Absolute Sword Zekken back in the day, right?"

It was true. Other than the crossguard, the sword was almost an exact replica of the sword used by Yuuki, otherwise known as Zekken, back when she was still alive.

"I've heard stories about her." Lilly said. "Apparently she was a legendary swordswoman in ALO decades ago. No one had ever managed to beat her even once."

Miku nodded her head. "Yeah. My folks told me all kinds of stories about her, since they knew her back when she was alive. I've always been fascinated by them. I know it may sound silly, but even though I never met Yuuki I really looked up to her."

Yui shook her head. "I don't think that's silly at all. I remember her even now. She was an amazing player. My mother and her were as close as sisters."

Miku smiled as she looked at the blade. "Apollo and I did a ton of research, finding out the origins of the sword she used. Apparently it was forged using the same metal we found. That's why I wanted to go get it, so I could have a sword just like Zekken's and use it to honor her memory."

Yui hadn't really noticed it until now, but Miku's new sword wasn't the only thing that bared a resemblance to Yuuki. Her outfit was also somewhat inspired by the legendary swordswoman, though it was nowhere near being an exact replica.

"Well, here you go, sis." Apollo said, handing her the sword. "Doesn't have a name yet, so it's up to you to come up with one."

Miku tapped the sword and a window popped up, giving her a type-in box for the name. Miku smiled to herself as she typed in the name for her new weapon. Rossario's Legacy. After confirming it, Miku put the sword away in the sheath at her waist. "Thanks everyone. I could have never done this without you."

"You just make sure to live up to Yuuki's name in the tournament, using that sword." Yui said.

"Though you won't manage to win the whole thing though. That's our job." Rin said with a grin. "But you guys can have second place."

An excited smirk came to Miku's face as she looked at them. "Bring it on."

With their work forging Miku's new blade done, the group all walked out of the workshop. Their mission to go gather the metal had taken up a fair amount of time, as it was already getting later in the afternoon.

"Thanks again for all your help guys." Miku said as she and her brother Apollo walked away, waving goodbye to their friends. "See you at the tournament."

Everyone waved goodbye to the sibling duo. A smile came to Lilly's face. "I've only heard stories about Zekken. I really wish I could have seen her in action back in the day."

"She really was an amazing swordswoman. And even more amazing as a person." Yui said.

"No fair. You know all the cool people, sis." Strea frowned.

"Hey, it's not my fault. I was an AI for several years before I became human." Yui argued.

"In any case, this is gonna make for one exciting tournament." Lilly said.

An eager grin came to Rin's face. "Yeah! I'm getting all fired up! Let's go out there and win this thing!"

"You think you're going to win? What a laugh."

The group all gasped and looked towards the roof of the building right behind them. Standing on top of it and looking down at them was a short male Sylph. He had dark green hair and his jet black outfit resembled a lot like that of a ninja. Sheathed along the back of his waist was a shortsword.

"Who the heck are you, pal?" Rin asked.

"The name's Kamui." the boy said. "Member of the team that's actually going to win the tournament, Team Moonshadow"

"Team Moonshadow?" Yui asked.

"And what makes you so special?" Rin questioned. "I could take you right here and now, half-pint."

"Is that so?" Kamui asked with a grin as he reached for his weapon. "Then maybe I should play with you for a bit."

Rin and Kamui glared at each other, ready to fight it out. Before they could go at it, a new voice interrupted them. "Now, now, that's enough, Kamui." Everyone looked over as a female Imp with long indigo hair and a kimono outfit walked up to them. "You shouldn't let your ego get the better of you."

"Hmph, always spoiling my fun." Kamui huffed as he removed his hand from the grip of his sword and leaped down from the building, landing next to the woman.

The female Imp looked at the group. "I apologize for my teammate here. He tends to run his mouth too often."

Yui eyed the girl questionably. "And you would be?"

"Oh yes, how rude of me. My name is Kaguya." she said, introducing herself. "I'm also a member of Team Moonshadow." She glanced over at Rin's direction, eyeing the female Salamander.

"What? Is something wrong?" Rin asked.

Kaguya continued to stare at Rin for a few seconds before letting out a small giggle. "I'm just curious to see what Shade sees in you."

Rin's eyes widened. "You know Shade?!"

"Of course. He's our third member, and leader of Team Moonshadow." Kaguya said with a grin. "And he's taken quite an interest in you, Rin was it?"

"Well you make sure to tell him something." Rin said as she pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. "Tell Shade that he better make sure not to lose until he fights me. And when we do fight, he's going down."

Kaguya grinned to herself as she turned around and walked away with Kamui. "I'll be sure to do that."

Rin and the others watched the two players walk off. Lilly looked over at her sister. "That Shade guy still gets under your skin, huh?"

"Yeah." Rin nodded. "But I'll pay him back in the tournament."

"It seems as though they're a team with just three members." Yui said. "All three of them must be really skilled."

Strea stretched her arms out. "The Mighty Five. Team Moonshadow. I can't wait to see what other teams we're gonna fight at this thing! It's gonna be awesome!"

"Well we'll just have to make sure we win." Yui said, unable to hide the excitement in her tone. "Team Black Firestorm is going to win this for sure. Right everyone?"

"Right!"

 **A/N: I hope you all liked the members revealed so far for Mighty Five, as well as Shade's two teammates. Next chapter will be the start of the tournament so look forward to it everybody.**


	19. Game On

**A/N: Oh boy, it's finally time everyone! The tournament that will decide the greatest team in ALO is about to begin. I hope you all enjoy it.**

Alfheim always tended to get more popular when the time came for its Annual Tournament. It was the biggest event every year for ALO. And it was always even more exciting whenever the GMs threw in a twist or two. With this year's tournament being team based instead of individual based, the excitement was through the roof.

"I am so psyched!" Rin cheered as she grinned. "It's finally time!"

Lilly giggled at her sister's side. "Just try to keep a cool head. Can't go looking like a badass if you get caught off guard and thrown on your ass."

"Ha, I'd like to see anyone try that." Rin said. "But thanks for the advice, sis."

"You can do it, Rin!" Luna cheered from the female Salamander's shoulder. "My sisters are the best there are!"

"Thanks Luna." Rin smiled. She looked up towards the sky where the giant floating stadium was. "Only twenty minutes left, huh?"

Floating next to Yggdrasill City was a massive floating stadium, holding one main battlefield and four smaller ones. According to the details sent out by the GMs to all of the players, the first and second rounds would be hosted at the four smaller arenas, while the large one in the center would be home to the main rounds once they started.

"I've gotta say, this is getting exciting." Lilly grinned. "I've never entered in a tournament this big before."

Luna tilted her head at the Cait Sith. "You've never entered the Annual Tournament, Lilly?"

"Nah, I can handle myself one on one against regular players, but there's no way I'd be able to beat some of the best in the game." Lilly explained. "But in a team tournament like this, I don't have to beat all of them. Even if the fights are all one on one, I can handle the weaker ones."

"Or use that big brain of yours to figure out a way to beat the tougher ones." Rin commented.

As the sisters walked through the streets while waiting for the stadium to be accessible, they soon met up with the rest of their team waiting for them. They chatted and waited until finally the bell sounded, signalling that it was finally time. The barrier around the stadium vanished and players began flying out towards it. The sky became populated with the colorful dots of several fairy races.

The team of Blazing Firestorm took off into the air and headed towards the stadium as well. They landed onto the docks and began making their way to the main arena where the opening ceremony was going to be held. Several teams could be seen walking together as they all made their way to the main arena.

Finally it came time for Sayaka and Tetsuya to split off from their friends and head to the stands. "We'll be cheering for you guys out there." Sayaka said.

"Make sure you win." Tetsuya told them.

Naoki showed a grin to their two friends. "Heh, don't you guys worry. No way are we losing this early. We plan on winning the championship."

After wishing their friends one final good luck, Sayaka and Tetsuya walked off towards the stands while the rest of the group headed towards the arena.

As the team of five walked out into the arena, the roar of the crowd flooded them. The stands in the main arena looked like they could seat a thousand players. Teams of all types stood on the arena as they awaited the opening ceremonies to begin. Some were full groups of five. Others were simply made up of three, having full confidence in their skills.

There were also teams made up to represent each of the fairy races, as seen by the players that were all wearing similar armor. The Annual Tournament was the main place for races to fight each other nowadays, as the war to get to the top of the World Tree had ended decades ago. But there were still some races that wished for more combat, namely the Salamanders. The rivalry between them and the Sylphs were practically infamous. But frankly, most players enjoyed the peace.

Looking around, Yui caught sight of Miku and her team The Mighty Five. The female Imp saw her too and waved over. A team Rin noticed were the three members of Shade's team, Team Moonshadow. Shade glanced in Rin's direction briefly, the two of them making eye contact, but the male Spriggan simply looked away after that.

' _You think you're so cool, huh Shade?'_ Rin thought to herself. ' _Let's see you keep that up after I wipe the floor with you.'_

Soon, all of the players were assembled in the main arena. Not long after that, fireworks shot up into the air around the entire stadium. Players stared in awe at their beauty as a lone player appeared in the sky with bright golden wings. Four screens appeared, giving everyone a close up look at the current CEO of the company that ran the servers for ALO.

"To all the players gathered here today, I welcome you. Our goal, as with every year, is to make this tournament the best one Alfheim has seen yet. As I'm sure many of you know, Alfheim Online started out as a game where the many fairy races competed with each other. Now, we live in an age where players of all races work together and adventure to their heart's content. Because of that sense of companionship, we have decided to make this year a team tournament. Now let us show the world the beauty of Alfheim Online!"

A loud collective cheer of agreement echoed throughout the stadium. After giving them a minute or so to die down, the monitor in the arena lit up as the CEO continued his speech. "Allow me to explain the rules of the first and second rounds. A total of one-hundred and sixty-four teams have entered into this tournament. In both rounds, one team will be pitted against another. The amount of players a team can use in the first two rounds will be based on whichever team has fewer members. Teams are allowed to switch out their members competing between rounds one and two, but the team leader must be on the roster in each round."

Yui thought to herself about the stated rules so far. "So our roster will depend on how many members our opposing team has. If they have five, we can use five. But if they only have three or four, we won't be able to use everyone."

The CEO continued. "The first two rounds will follow the same format. Both players will send one of their members into the ring. Once a player's HP reaches zero, they will switch out with another of their teammates while the victor remains in the ring until they are defeated. During each fight, a barrier will be put up around the ring to avoid ring outs. A team will lose once all of its members have been defeated. The rules for the third round and beyond will be explained after the first two rounds are over." As he began to ascend into the sky and fade away, he called out to the players one last time. "Now then, let the Alfheim Online Annual Tournament begin!"

A loud roar of cheers flooded the entire stadium. On the main monitor, teams were shuffled around for a few seconds as everyone awaited their opponents to be announced. Once each match-up for the first round was shown, a window appeared in front of each of the team leaders in the arena. Yui's teammates looked over her shoulder at who they would be fighting against.

"Team Disaster." Strea said. "This should be fun."

"The schedule says we'll be the third match in Arena C. According to this, Tem Disaster has five members, so we won't have to leave anyone out this round." Yui said. "Let's head over there now and prepare our strategy."

The rest of the team nodded and they started making their way to Arena C. As the first two fights went underway, Team Black Firestorm figured out their plan.

"Rin will go first." Yui suggested. "Her speed and power should allow her to hold her own against most possible players that'll be thrown at us. We'll figure out who goes next as the match goes on and who seems the most appropriate."

"I'll help to." Luna said as she flew out from Rin's breast pocket. "I can switch in with everyone and act as an extra set of eyes and ears."

Yui nodded with an appreciative smile. "Thanks Luna. We'll be counting on you."

"Leave it to me." Luna said with a salute, causing the rest of the team to share a laugh.

Time passed as the fights went on. Finally the time came for the third match and Team Blazing Firestorm walked out into the arena. The players that had come to Arena C all cheered, clearly feeling the excitement still from the first two matches.

Standing on the other side of the arena were their opponents, Team Disaster. The two teams of five stared each other down.

A female fairy with luminous silver wings and a mic in her hand stood on one side of the arena, in between the two teams. "The third match featuring Team Blazing Firestorm versus Team Disaster will now begin! Seeing as both teams have five members, this will be a five on five match! Now are you ready for some action people?!"

Cheers erupted through the crowd. Yui and the others couldn't tell if she was an NPC or not, but whatever she was, she knew how to get a crowd going.

"Now then, both teams select your first fighters."

Yui looked towards Rin and grinned. "Go get 'em."

"You got it." Rin said with a thumbs up as she walked forward and entered the ring while Luna flew into her breast pocket. From the opposing team, a muscular Imp walked forward, carrying a heavy shield and a one-handed axe. On the monitor, the headshot of both Rin and her opponent, who was apparently named Totoro according to the name under his picture.

"First match, Rin vs Totoro!" the fairy announcer said as she flew back out of the ring and a barrier was brought up. "Begin!"

"Heh, my first opponent's a girl? This'll be quick." Totoro smirked.

A fire burned in Rin's eyes from that comment as she took her stance. "I agree. It will be quick."

Totoro roared as he charged at Rin with his axe raised. Rin stood perfectly still as her opponent got closer and closer. Once he was close enough, Totoro swung his axe down with tremendous force. Before it could connect however, Rin sidestepped and avoided it. She followed up by jumping up and driving her knee upwards into her opponent's jaw.

"Tricky little-" Totoro didn't get to finish as Rin grabbed him by the arm and threw him over her shoulder. He flew back and collided into the barrier. Before he could react, Rin sped in and threw a punch directly at his gut.

As Totoro collapsed onto the ground he glared up at Rin who was looking down at him with a smug grin. "You'll pay for that, you bitch." he said.

"You're gonna have to hit me first, tough guy." Rin told him.

Anger flashed in Totoro's eyes as he got up and lunged at Rin for an attack with his axe. Rin easily ducked under the slash and delivered an upwards kick to the Imp, sending him flying into the air. Rin then brought out her wings and flew up. Just as Totoro recovered and looked down, Rin was already near him. She hooked her arm around his neck and with violent force threw him towards the arena floor. He crashed into it, forming a small crater from the force of the impact. Rin descended onto the ground, smirking at seeing her opponent's HP in the red.

"Come on, you can't be having this hard of a time." Rin said in a mocking tone. "After all, I'm JUST a girl."

"You are so dead!" Totoro yelled. He used his wings for a boost in speed as he charged at Rin.

Rin dodged his first slash and rolled out of the way, but as she turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of Totoro throwing his axe at her. Rin just barely managed to duck in time as the axe flew over her. ' _Phew. That was way too close.'_ She saw Totoro charged at her again, this time with no weapon in hand. Rin jumped over him as he swung his fist down at her, and delivered an axe kick that sent Totoro's head right into the stadium floor. His HP hit zero and the Imp burned away into a remain light.

"Winner of the match, Rin from Team Black Firestorm!" the announcer declared. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Totoro's remain light was automatically moved outside of the ring and he was revived.

"Go Rin! You show 'em sis!" Lilly cheered.

"Is it just me, or did we get stuck with a bunch of losers?" Naoki asked. "If the rest of their team is like this, Rin won't have any trouble dealing with at least three of them."

"Let's not write them off just yet, Naoki." Yui said. "We can't judge an entire team's skill based on one guy."

Over by Team Disaster, a male Spriggan jumped up onto the ring. He walked up while twirling a dagger in his hand.

Rin cracked her knuckles as she looked at her next opponent. "Let's hope you're not as much of a pushover as your teammate."

The Spriggan smirked at Rin. "Oh I can assure you I'm quite different from that meathead."

Luna poked her head out from Rin's breast pocket. "My sister's gonna beat you silly! Rin's super strong!"

A dark chuckle came from the Spriggan. "Oh how cute. She even brought along a midget cheerleader."

The response he got was Luna sticking her tongue out at him before ducking back under into Rin's breast pocket. The female announcer called out to the crowd. "The second match, Rin vs Rotto. Begin!"

And just like that, Rin sped in towards her opponent. With a dagger, the damage her opponent could do was minimal so she could afford a small cut or two. The damage her martial arts would do would be far larger anyway.

Rotto was quickly put on the defensive as he desperately dodged blow after blow from Rin. None of the Salamander girl's punches were connecting, but at the same time Rotto had no openings to attack.

"That's right Rin! Keep up the pressure!" Strea cheered.

"That Rotto guy's really light on his feet though." Yui noted. "He's got some skill to be able to dodge Rin's assault."

"Big deal. If all he can do is dodge, then it's only a matter of time before Rin gets a hit in."

Back in the arena, Rin grinned as she went in for a right hook at her opponent. "Take this!"

Right as Rin's fist was about to make contact, Rotto ducked under. Rin gasped, realizing she was now wide open. Rotto's dagger lit up as he performed a series of quick stabs at Rin's avatar. Each hit was light and did little damage, but Rin knew that wasn't the purpose of the attack. The skill Rotto had just performed had a bonus skill of paralyzing the target for a brief moment. Rin saw the paralysis icon next to her HUD as her body went stiff and she fell over onto her back.

' _Damnit!'_ Rin thought to herself. She gritted her teeth as Rotto stood over her. But with his weak attacks, she knew he wouldn't be able to take out all of her HP in the time duration of the paralysis. She just had to wait for it to wear off, then she could take down Rotto. But to her surprise, Rotto didn't attack her. Instead he reached out towards her chest.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing, you pervert!" Rin yelled with a dusty blush on her face. "Do you want to trigger the sexual harassment code!"

"I think you misunderstand, girlie." Rotto grinned. "I'm not going for your body. What I'm going for-" Rin gasped as he reached his hand into her breast pocket and pulled out Luna. "-is this."

"Luna!" Rin exclaimed.

"Rin! Help!" Luna yelled out, but she was soon cut off and crying in pain as Rotto tightened his grip on the Navigation Pixie.

Rin finally felt her body regain the ability to move and she shot up to grab her sister. Rotto saw this coming far too early however and jumped back, distancing himself from the female Salamander.

"You bastard!" Rin shouted. "Let her go!"

"I don't think so." Rotto said with a smirk. "I did a little research on the top contenders of this tournament. I found out about how you seem so much more attached to this little thing than most players are with their Navigation Pixies. So I got the little idea of blackmailing you like this if we ended up fighting."

"Let her go NOW!" As Rin took a step forward, Rotto tightened his grip on Luna even further, causing her to let out another cry of pain, forcing Rin to stay still.

"Here's what's going to happen." Rotto said. "You're going to stand there and watch as I slowly carve away chunk after chunk of your HP. And when I win this match and you lay defeated on the ground like the loser you are, then and only then will I let this cluster of data go."

"Bastard…" Rin growled.

"Now, now, do you really think name calling is the best choice given your situation?" Rotto asked, walking up to Rin with a confident stride to his steps. He was soon standing right next to Rin, knowing she was completely helpless as long as he had the girl's Navigation Pixie. He walked around behind her. "I know what you're probably thinking. You think that you just need to wait for an opportunity to grab this precious little program you're so fond of, then you can fight back. Unfortunately for you though, I've already thought of that." With one quick movement, Rotto slashed his dagger upwards and severed Rin's right arm.

"Rin!" Lilly exclaimed from next to the ring. She glared at Rotto. "You coward! Fight fair!"

"Fighting fair is for idiots who use brawn over brains." Rotto said. "The smart know how to strike their opponent where they're most vulnerable." With another slash from the dagger, Rin's left arm was cut off. The limb fell to the ground and shattered, leaving Rin without either of her arms to fight. Now she couldn't even get her sister back, even if she had an opening.

From the side of the ring, the rest of Rin's team could only watch Rin's helpless position in front of Rotto. Lilly clenched her fists tightly, angry that both of her sisters were being tortured by this jerk and she couldn't do anything to help them.

Rotto took his knee and shoved it into Rin's stomach, making the air rush out of her lungs. She fell to her knees as Rotto looked down at her.

"I'm gonna take my time and enjoy this." Rotto said. He lifted his leg up and swung it down at Rin's head, making it hit the ground with a painful thud. He then proceeded to kick her in the gut repeatedly, shaving off a little HP with each hit.

The crowd could only feel pity for Rin at the humiliation she was going through due to Rotto's dirty tactics. Boos echoed all around, but the Spriggan didn't pay them any mind. Winning was all that mattered, it didn't matter how he won. A long while passed before Rin's HP finally hit the red area from Rotto's repeated kicks.

"It's over!" Rotto said with a malicious grin. He raised his dagger and prepared to go in for the final strike. He had all but considered this match his for the taking.

And that was just the moment Rin was waiting for.

With one swift motion, Rin swung her body around and swept her legs under Rotto, causing him to trip over and fall on his back. He hit the ground painfully, as another kick from Rin slammed into his arm, forcing him to let go of Luna.

"Go Luna! Get away!" Rin told her sister.

"But what about you, Rin?!"

"I'll be fine, just go!"

Luna quickly flew away from Rotto and over to the edge of the stadium. Being a Navigation Pixie instead of a player, the barrier had no effect on her, so she flew through it and over to Lilly and the others. With her sister free, Rin sent another kick down at Rotto, this one hitting him in the gut. Anger flashed in his eyes as he lunged at Rin. "Damn you!"

Rin cracked a small smirk as Rotto's dagger impaled her avatar. "A girl knocked you off your feet without even using her arms. Guess we've seen how smart you really are."

"Say what you will. I still came out the winner."

Rin let out a small chuckle. "Not for long."

Rin's HP hit zero, calling an end to the fight. Her avatar burned away into a remain light and moved over to Lilly and the others so the next fighter could step forward.

"Winner of the match, Rotto from Team Disaster." the announcer called out.

Boos and hisses came from everywhere in the crowd, but the victorious Spriggan didn't seem to pay them any mind. Over by Rin's teammates, Yui and the others were seething in rage.

"This guy is going down. I'll put him in his place." Yui growled. She prepared to step forward, but was blocked off by Lilly's arm. A look of pure rage burned in the Cait Sith's eyes as she stared directly at the player that had just put both of her sisters through so much suffering.

"He's mine."

 **A/N: Well I hope you've all liked the start of the tournament so far. There will be multiple characters shown throughout the tournament. Feel free to say who your favorite characters shown are in your reviews. If there's any characters you want to see fight also, feel free to post those ideas too. I can't promise I'll do them, but I am open to ideas.**


	20. Heating Up

**A/N: Not much to say for this chapter unfortunately. Just anxiously awaiting SAO vs Accel World to come out on July 7th. Enjoy the chapter everyone.**

 **Also, a quick reminder, Miku, Apollo, Jinketsu, and Neko all belong to Marcus Cersey, and Kagero is a joint character between us.**

"Lilly, are you sure about this?" Yui asked.

"Positive." Lilly responded, the glare in her eyes not lessening for a second. "Leave this bastard to me."

"Lilly…" Luna muttered as she looked at her sister. "I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me, Rin wouldn't have-"

Lilly gave her sister a smile as she patted Luna on the head. "Don't go blaming yourself Luna. It's not your fault. But do me a favor and stay back here for me."

"But-"

"I'm not disappointed or anything, I promise." Lilly assured her. "I just want you to stay safe right now."

Luna watched silently as her sister walked up onto the arena. The Navigation Pixie held her head down. It was because of her that Rin had lost just now. Would the others be mad at her for putting them in this situation.

"Hey, cheer up Luna." Yui said at the girl's side. "Your sister's got this."

"But it's all my fault." Luna said with a frown.

"That's not true, and you know it." Strea said as she came next to Luna as well. "It's that big jerk Rotto who did all those things. And now Lilly's gonna give him what for."

Naoki walked up to cheer Luna up as well. "No one here blames you Luna. Now what do you say we cheer your sister on while she beats this guy into next week."

Luna looked at her friends and nodded her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. She cuffed her hands around her mouth and shouted towards the arena. "Go Lilly! Beat him up!"

Rotto looked at the glare Lilly was giving him and chuckled. "Oh my, how scary. What, am I supposed to be running for the hills because of one silly mage?"

"No, you should be running for the hills because of one very pissed off sister." Lilly corrected. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Rin and Luna."

The fairy announcer looked at the two players, both of them ready to fight. "The third match, Lilly versus Rotto. Begin!"

Almost immediately, Rotto kicked off from the ground and quickly ran towards Lilly with his dagger in hand. "All I have to do is keep you from saying your incantations. Without access to magic, you're a sitting duck."

As Rotto closed in, he widened his eyes as Lilly spoke out the incantations to a spell with surprising quickness, barely leaving a breath in between each word. In the spam of the few seconds it took Rotto to get near Lilly, the Cait Sith had already finished her incantation. She held out her hand and snapped her fingers at point blank range.

"Burn."

Rotto had no time to dodge and got hit by a blast of fire that sent him flying back. He gritted his teeth in annoyance as he watched his health fall to the yellow. "How the hell did you do that?"

"A little tip I picked up from a friend of mine." Lilly said. "Although unlike him, I can only do the incantation for this spell at that speed. Luckily for me, that'll be more than enough to beat you." She kept her hand aimed at Rotto, with more ammo from her spell at the ready. "And don't even think about surrendering. I'm not letting you off that easily."

"You little…" Rotto glared at Lilly and began to speed at her, but another three snaps from Lilly came before he could even move a foot closer to her. The three simultaneous blasts from Lilly fused together and became one giant blast of fire that crashed into Rotto and sent him flying back. He hit the barrier painfully before collapsing onto the ground. "Damnit…"

"I've still got another six of these left." Lilly said. "Now where should I hit you next?"

From the side of the ring, Strea cheered for her friend. "Go Lilly! Beat that jerk!"

Suddenly a voice came from behind the group. "I see Lilly's not letting up." Everyone turned around to see Rin, fully revived and back to normal.

"Rin!" Luna cried as she flew over and threw herself at her sister. "You're back!"

"Don't worry. I'm alright now, Luna." Rin assured her. "Now how about we watch Lilly kick Rotto's butt?"

Luna flew onto Rin's shoulder and the team returned to watching Lilly's fight.

Lilly looked at Rotto as he laid on the ground away from her. "Come on, your HP isn't zero yet. I plan on making you pay with interest for everything you did."

Rotto slowly got to his feet. The Spriggan shook in fear of Lilly as she glared at him menacingly. "W-Wait! Please, I'm begging you! Have mercy!"

Lilly's glare didn't lessen. Seeing the pathetic excuse for a warrior groveling at her feet only made her hate him even more. "Oh right, mercy. You mean like the mercy you showed when you were beating my sister to a bloody pulp while she couldn't even fight back."

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking!" Rotto cried. "Please forgive me!"

"You don't remember what you were doing? Well allow me to refresh your memory." Lilly said. She held out her hand, preparing to fire another blast of her spell. "You see first you grabbed my little sister and tried to crush her in your hand, making her cry a little something like this!" A blast of fire erupted from the Cait Sith's hand, engulfing Rotto and making him cry out in pain. When the flames died down, Rotto noticed that the girl was gone, only to then feel a looming sense of danger directly behind him. Lilly raised her unsheathed sword. "And then you cut of my big sister's arms, kinda like this!" With two swift cuts, both of Rotto's arms were severed from his body. The two limbs shattered as they hit the floor. The Spriggan was on the verge of tears at this point, utterly terrified of the girl. But Lilly wasn't done yet. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt, ready to finish him off. "You also then proceeded to slowly kick Rin in the gut over and over again. But I know something that's a little more painful than that." She put all of her strength into one powerful swing of her arm as she then sent Rotto high into the air. He screamed in terror as he flailed around helplessly in the air while Lilly chanted a spell from the ground. When she finished, a red stream shot out from the palm of her hand and flew towards Rotto. When it made contact, a huge explosion occurred. Rotto's cry of pain echoed throughout the arena as his HP finally hit zero. His remain light floated in the air before automatically being moved outside of the ring by the system.

"Winner of the match, Lilly from Team Black Firestorm!"

Cheers erupted through the crowd, several players happy to see the dirty coward get his just desserts. Even Rotto's team didn't show any pity for him. The rest of Lilly's team all showed prideful grins towards their Cait Sith teammate.

"I've never seen Lilly like that." Luna said from Rin's shoulder.

"Yeah, she doesn't lose her temper as easily as I do." Rin said. "But when she does, you don't want to be standing anywhere near her."

Lilly kept up her momentum for the fights ahead, taking care of the next two players of Team Disaster all by herself. Doing so had cost her most of her HP though, and by the time for the fight against Team Disaster's leader, a male Salamander by the name of Genki, the Cait Sith had run out of steam. But Team Disaster only had one member left while Black Firestorm still had three. It was all but clear who the winner was going to be. Strea was up next to the plate and she made quick work of her opponent, giving her team the last win they needed.

"Team Black Firestorm wins the match!" the announcer declared. Cheers were heard throughout the crowd. Yui and the others all high fived each other in celebration of their victory.

"Aw yeah! We're past the first round!" Naoki said excitedly. "Let's kick some ass in round 2, just like we did here!"

"I don't think we'll be as lucky to get this big of a victory again, Naoki." Lilly said. "Our opponents this time were pretty weak, but that was because they didn't care how they won. The teams that we face later on are going to have some actual skill."

"For now though, we've got the rest of the day off. Round 2 doesn't start until tomorrow." Yui pointed out. "So let's just relax and watch the other matches for now."

The rest of round one's matches lasted throughout the day. Black Firestorm checked in on Miku and the Mighty Five for their match, which they won with little difficulty. Even though she was primarily a mage fighter, it was clear that Miku's new sword Rosario's Legacy was doing wonders for her. The rest of the team had also been performing well, with Kagero taking down two players all on her own.

After the Mighty Five finished their match, Miku, Apollo, and Kagero met up with Black Firestorm outside of the arena by the docks of the stadium. Both teams congratulated each other on their victory.

"I can't wait to see who we're up against in round 2 tomorrow." Miku said excitedly.

"You sure sound pumped." Yui said with a grin.

"You bet! And I'll be sure to kick some but tomorrow too!"

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up. "As if we could ever lose. We've got me here after all." Everyone looked over as a female Cait Sith with emerald colored eyes walked up to them. The girl in question had raven black hair with cat ears matching that color. Her tail was raven black too, with the exception of the white tip at the end. Her equipment consisted of a red long sleeved jacket that went down to her chest, the rest of her top half being covered by her shirt. On her legs were a pair of maroon shorts and black leggings. Her feet were completely bare, with no footwear whatsoever.

Walking along with the Cait Sith was a male Spriggan. He had the characteristic black hair of the race, as well as brown eyes. His equipment was all black, and had the appearance of an old fashioned samurai. A bandana was tied around his head. Sheathed at his waist was a katana.

"Neko, Jinketsu, hey." Miku waved. "Sorry about you not being able to fight this round. We'll make sure you two get a shot at the competition in round 2."

"You better." Neko said as she tapped the pair of black glass daggers at her waist. "I want a chance to tear apart someone."

"Leave it to us." Jinketsu assured his team leader. "I won't let you down Miku, I promise."

"I'll be counting on you two." Miku smiled. "Well guys, Apollo and I better get going. See you all tomorrow."

Yui and the others waved goodbye as Miku and Apollo flew back down towards Arun. Neko soon flew away too, though Kagero went back to the stadium to see some more of the fights. Jinketsu however, stared at Miku and Apollo as they flew away.

"Jinketsu? Jinketsu?"

"Huh?" Jinketsu blinked as Yui's call snapped him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, did you guys say something?"

"You were staring off into the distance." Yui said. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah." Jinketsu stuttered as he nodded. "Everything's fine."

"Your body heat was pretty high just a moment ago though." Luna said as she poked her head out from Rin's shirt. "I think there might be an error with the system."

"N-No! I swear, I'm perfectly fine!"

Rin narrowed her eyes at the Spriggan. "When did you sense his body heat increase, Luna?"

"I believe it was right after Miku and Apollo took off." Luna said.

Jinketsu felt a nervous sweat go down the back of his neck as all of the girls collectively stared at him, slowly piecing the picture together. A knowing grin came to all of their faces. "H-Hang on you guys! It's not what you think!"

"You've got a crush, don't you lover boy?" Strea grinned.

"I… I…"

Yui nodded her head. "Oh yeah. Definitely a crush. I know that look."

Jinketsu let out a sigh as he held his head down. "Okay, okay, you caught me. I kinda sorta… have a thing for Miku."

Almost instantly, the girls let out a collective squeal. "Awwwwwwww!"

"Cut it out!"

Naoki walked up and patted Jinketsu on the back. "Relax man, no need to be embarrassed. You picked a good one though, I gotta say." He grinned at the Spriggan. "Lucky for you, I happen to be an expert when it comes to girls. I'll tell you everything I know about them."

Rin narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Do you mean everything you THINK you know, or everything you actually know? Cause depending on that, we'll either be here for five hours or five minutes."

"Hey!"

Jinketsu looked at the girls pleadingly. "Please don't tell Miku about this."

Rin giggled at him. "Don't worry. We won't say a word."

Luna tilted her head curiously. She never understood why humans acted so complicatedly with their feelings about each other. Why didn't they just talk honestly amongst each other. That was how her Mama and Papa fell in love.

The day continued with matches going on throughout the stadium one after another. Once the fights for day one were over, the pairings for round 2 were revealed. Rin and the others were up against a team of three this time, so Lilly and Strea opted to sit out for round 2. With round 1 over, everyone logged off to rest up for tomorrow.

* * *

 _-The next day-_

The first round yesterday had brought a lot of excitement with it, and round 2 was not lacking in it either. The fights that were taking place had the entire crowd on the edge of their seats.

Rin and the others stood in the waiting room right outside of the arena for their match up next. The three players fighting this round were Rin, Naoki, and Yui, but Strea was also there to cheer them on. Surprisingly though, Lilly had gone off with Luna roughly an hour ago, and both of them were nowhere to be seen.

"Seriously, where are they?" Rin asked. "I know Lilly's not participating this round, but I thought she and Luna would be here."

"I'm sure they're fine." Yui said. "Right now, we should focus on our upcoming match."

Rin sighed and nodded her head. "I guess you're right. Maybe they'll come in the middle of it at least."

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

Rin, Naoki, Yui, and Strea all turned their heads and saw Lilly come through the door to the waiting room. As she came in, she took a second to catch her breath. "Sorry we took so long you guys. There was some last minute stuff I needed to do."

"Better late than never I suppose." Naoki shrugged. "After all, you girls love being fashionably late."

Rin looked at Lilly, not seeing their younger sister anywhere. "Lilly, where's Luna? Wasn't she with you?"

A grin came to Lilly's face as she looked at her friends. "That's part of the last minute stuff I mentioned. Remember how we decided to not have Luna be in the ring with us?"

Rin nodded her head. After what had happened with Rotto yesterday, the group had taken a collective vote and decided it was best Luna stay on the sidelines and cheer in order to keep her safe and prevent another incident from occurring again. "Yeah, I know. What about it?"

"Check this out." Lilly turned around back towards the door. "Introducing our team support member!"

Everyone watched as Luna emerged through the doors in her human form rather than her Navigation Pixie form. The part that surprised them though was the little girl's attire. Luna was dressed up in a cheerleader uniform. Her chest was covered by a bright yellow cloth while her belly was left exposed. At her waist was a cute white mini skirt. In her hands were a pair of pom poms.

"Luna?!" Rin gasped.

"Doesn't she look adorable?!" Lilly squealed. "She said she wanted to cheer everyone on, so I came up with this idea."

"Go Team Black Firestorm! Rah, rah, rah!" Luna said as she waved her pom poms around before striking a cute pose. "What do you think everyone? Now I can cheer you all on."

Rin clapped her hands together while squealing at her little sister. "You are the cutest thing ever right now Luna! With you cheering us on, we'll be sure to win!"

Yui, Naoki, and Strea all stared at Luna with a loss for words. One by one, each of them said the first thing that came to their minds.

"Damn that's cute." Naoki muttered.

"So cute." Yui agreed.

"I want it." Strea said.

"The dress or Luna?" Yui asked.

"Both."

Luna giggled as she waved her pom poms. "I'll cheer for everyone as loud as I can."

Soon an announcement was heard. "The next match, Team Black Firestorm versus Team Clover. Both teams, please come to the arena."

"That's our cue." Yui said as she stretched her arms out. "Let's do this everyone."

"Right!"

* * *

The fight for the second round went off with a bang. Team Clover was made up of three girls, two Sylphs and one Pooka. Naoki was first up for his team. As the fight began, it was clear that Team Clover had earned their win in the first round. Naoki was put on the defensive as he tried to deal with his opponent's speed. But the male Salamander eventually managed to pull out a win from under his opponent.

The second member of Team Clover was no weaker than the first. It took everything Naoki had to hold his own after being weakened by the first member. In the end, he ended up going down along with his opponent. Now it was all up to Team Clover's last member, a female Sylph named Rose, to take down both Yui and Rin.

"Take this!" Rin yelled as she swung her leg down for an axe kick.

Rose managed to jump back and avoid a direct hit from the female Salamander's foot just in time. "That was close."

"Go Rin!" Luna cheered, waving her pom poms around excitedly. "You can do it sis!"

Rin swung for blow after blow with her gauntlets. Rose desperately ducked and dodged while thrusting her rapier every now and then when she had the chance. Finally, Rin managed to knock Rose off balance as she swept her leg under her. As Rose lost her balance and fell back, Rin's fist lit up for a skill and delivered a powerful punch, knocking Rose back and depleting the rest of her HP.

"Winner of the match, Team Black Firestorm!" the announcer declared.

Rin jumped off the arena and walked over to her team. The group all cheered in celebration of their victory.

"Aw yeah, round 3 here we come!" Naoki grinned.

"I wonder what the rules for round 3 will even be." Lilly said.

"We'll just have to wait and find out." Yui shrugged. "For now, why don't we check out the other fights going on."

Lilly opened her menu and took a look at the schedule for the fights for the day. It showed each of the arenas throughout the stadium, as well as what teams were currently fighting in them. One name in particular caught her attention. "Hey, Team Moonshadow is fighting in Arena B right now."

"Moonshadow? Wasn't that the team that Shade guy is on?" Naoki asked.

Rin crossed her arms. "Hmph. That jerk better not lose until he faces me."

"Why don't we go check it out?" Yui suggested. "It'll give us a chance to see what the rest of the team can do."

The group gave a collective nod, and they left the arena they were currently in, meeting up with Tetsuya and Sayaka. They all began making their way to the Arena B. As Yui and the others ran towards it, they passed by Arena A, where they heard a huge amount of cheering from the crowd.

"Someone sure has players excited." Tetsuya commented.

Sayaka looked at her friends. "Should we take a peek?"

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah. It can't hurt to take a quick look."

As the group ran out into the stands for Arena A, they looked down at the ring and gasped at what they saw.

A lone Imp stood in the arena. His hair was a deep violet color, and his eyes were the same color. In his right hand was a thin one-handed longsword with a crossguard that had the image of two raven wings spreading out. At his side was a remain light, showing that he had just defeated his opponent. The surprising thing though was what the monitor showed. He was the first member up for his team, while the person who was flickering as a remain light was the fifth member of the other team.

"And with that stunning victory, Lucifer of Team Demise has defeated every single member of Team Inferno all on his own!" the announcer fairy girl declared. "Team Demise wins the match!"

Cheers erupted throughout the crowd as players cheered at the marvelous victory. Yui and the rest of Team Black Firestorm all gasped in awe.

"He beat five players all on his own?" Rin questioned.

"Were their opponents just a bunch of losers?" Naoki guessed.

Lilly shook her head. "No, I heard about Team Inferno. They were the Salamander's team of elite players."

"And he made them look like amateurs." Yui said. "Who is this guy?"

The Imp known as Lucifer waved to the crowd with a smile on his face. But looking at him, Yui couldn't help but feel something was off. That smile didn't seem genuine. It seemed… fake.

' _Lucifer… Team Demise…'_ Yui silently thought. ' _We'll have to keep an eye on them.'_

"Well no use standing around here." Naoki said. "We should probably get to Arena B and check out Shade's team."

It took the group a moment to snap out of their confusion before they all nodded and headed towards the next arena.

* * *

The fights for round 2 dragged on throughout the day. When Rin and the others arrived to see Shade's team fight, it came as no surprise to them when they were declared the winners. Shade had made quick work of their team leader, cutting him down without any mercy. Afterwards, it was only another few hours before round 2 was completely finished.

When all of the fights were over, a screen appeared in the air above all five arenas with the CEO of the company running Alfheim Online appearing once again.

"To all of the teams that have made it past the first two rounds, congratulations." he spoke. "The forty-one teams that have made it this far have all fought hard. But from this point on, the fights will only get harder. Round 3 will begin tomorrow, and when it is over there will only be sixteen team remaining." Everyone gasped as they heard this. That would mean that over half the remaining teams would be knocked out in the next round. As the information sunk in, the CEO continued. "Round 3 will be a full out battle royale, held in a special area that has been made exclusively for it. The area is a circle, with a diameter of ten kilometers. Players will all be teleported to a random area of the map. From there on, it will be a battle for survival. Once you die, there is no revival. You are out of the battle royale. As long as a team still has at least one member left alive, they are in. However, once all of the members of a team have been defeated, they are out. The third round will last until only sixteen teams are left standing. After that, it will be a regular tournament bracket system between teams." All of the players silently felt the pressure grow on them. "The third round begins tomorrow at one in the afternoon. Good luck players."

With that, the windows above the stadiums closed and everyone was left to think about the upcoming third round.

"This is getting interesting." Rin grinned. "So we just have to make sure to stay alive until sixteen teams are left."

"Everyone's location will be random." Yui realized. "That means team members won't be able to communicate with each other unless they find a way to meet up."

"We could try some kind of signal flare, but that would also attract enemies." Lilly pointed out. "Everyone will be more or less on their own."

"Who cares?" Strea said, a big grin painted on her face. "We'll just make sure we win. That's all there is to it."

A smile came to Yui's face as she nodded. "Strea's right. We've come this far. We can do this."

Naoki stretched his arms out. "Well, I'm gonna rest up for tomorrow. It's gonna be a big day."

"Good idea." Rin agreed. "We'll all need to be in peak condition for the third round."

Everyone waved goodbye to each other as they flew off in different directions. Rin, Lilly, and Luna all flew off towards their parent's house in Lunet.

* * *

In any VRMMO, there were dark places, areas of the map that were known to be home for those less bound by morals. Alfheim Online was no exception, even in the seemingly peaceful city of Arun.

A male Salamander walked along with a female Pooka. The girl in question was wearing a seductive outfit, even for the standards of most female equipment in the virtual world. A fair portion of her rather large chest was exposed, and her tight pants did a good job of showing off the shape of her rear. Her hair was a long silver color.

"So babe, is that place you mentioned up ahead?" the Salamander asked.

The Pooka girl smiled at him. "Yep. It'll give us plenty of privacy." She rubbed her finger along the bottom of his chin. "Be gentle though, okay sweetie?"

"I'll try." he said with a grin.

The duo went to a tavern in the shady part of Arun. After renting a room, the two players walked to the door. The girl showed the boy with her a seductive grin. "Give me a second to change into something more… comfortable. I want to surprise you when you walk in."

The Salamander nodded his head. "You got it babe."

The girl walked in and closed the door behind her. As the Salamander waited outside, he found his anticipation growing. A sexy girl was willing to give him a night to remember. Okay well technically he had paid for it, but who really cared in the end.

Out of nowhere, a loud scream came from inside the room. The male Salamander quickly opened the door. "What happened?! Are you-" He fell silent as he saw what was going on.

Multiple players wearing hooded cloaks were standing around the room. The Pooka girl was sitting on the bed, in nothing but her bra and underwear, and was clearly afraid. Before the Salamander could even think about what to do, he felt the cold steel of a blade near his neck.

"Hehehe, looks like it was worth tailing these two." the player behind him said with a chuckle.

"Wh-Who are you people?!" the Salamander questioned.

"That's not important." another one of the group said. "All that matters is that you hand over your money and items if you know what's good for you."

"But we're in a safe zone! You can't kill me here!"

"We don't need to kill you. We have plenty of ways to make you suffer." a female voice said, drawing a rapier and pointing it at him. "Now hand them over."

He was about to refuse, but the knife to his neck drew closer and he remembered the predicament he was in. The player reluctantly opened his menu and gave up some of his rarest items and all of his money. Once he closed the trade window, the player holding a knife to his neck removed his weapon and walked past the Salamander. "Thanks for the cooperation. Now beat it."

The player looked towards the Pooka girl he had come with. "But what about her?"

"That's none of your concern." the rapier user said as she pointed her weapon at him again. "Scram."

The Pooka girl looked at him with a small hint of fear in her eyes. "It's ok. I'll be fine, just hurry up and run."

The Salamander didn't need to be told twice as he ran out of the room and fled down the street. With him gone, the Pooka girl's look of fear quickly turned into a smirk. "My god, that was too easy. What an idiot."

"Well you can't blame them too much." the player with the knife said as he removed his hood, revealing the face of a Leprechaun. He had smooth black hair and brown eyes. "With a body like yours, even I'd want to spend a night with you, Lust. Well if it wasn't for that murderous personality you have."

The Pooka girl known as Lust laughed at him. "Hah, as if I'd let myself be soiled by your filthy hands, Greed. I may trick players, but I only let the good ones sleep with me."

"You're both disgusting." the rapier user said with a roll of her eyes as she removed her hood, revealing her to be a Sylph with long smooth emerald hair.

"Oh no need to be jealous, Pride." Lust giggled. "Just because you can't get a guy doesn't mean you should go and be mean to others who can. That stuck up personality is what drives men away."

"Why you filthy little-"

"That's enough." a new voice said, as its owner walked into the room. The group fell silent as the male Imp walked in. "Let's not spoil the moment with a petty feud. How much did we get?"

"Other than a decent rare drop, not much." Greed said as he opened his menu and scrolled through the items he had gotten from their victim. "He had some good cash on him though."

"Good. Hand it over and I'll split it up."

"You got it." Greed said as he traded over all of the Yld and items. "So, what's our game plan for the battle royale tomorrow?"

"As if we need one." Lust giggled. "The losers competing in the tournament don't stand a chance either way. Especially when we have Lucifer."

"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Lucifer said. "We can't afford to go in cocky and underestimate the competition. After all, we need to make sure we win this tournament."

The other player in the room, a bulky Gnome with short brown hair and a long tattoo along his left eye that went down his face, was busy eating a piece of boar meat. "I'm going to need to stock up on food. That battle royale is going to take hours. I can't go without eating for that long."

"You are such a glutton." Greed groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Though I guess it's fitting since you named yourself Gluttony."

Lucifer looked at his four teammates. "The five of us, Team Demise, will have no problem making it through the next round. Use the chance the battle royale will provide us to study the opposing teams and look for any ones we should watch out for."

Walking out of the inn, Lucifer made his way down the dark streets of Arun. He looked up towards the floating stadium in the sky. ' _When this is all over, we will be the ones who are victorious. And I will not let anyone get in our way.'_

 **A/N: So now you've all gotten a small look at the members of Team Demise. I know a lot of you are probably anxiously awaiting to see what certain characters from the revealed teams so far are like in action, but worry not. There will be plenty of action with several different characters during the next few chapters.**

 **Also the design for Luna's cheer outfit was inspired by the Cheerleader event in Memory Defrag. I hope you all liked it.**


	21. Royale Rumble

**A/N: Well readers, it's time for the battle royale you've been waiting for. This round will last a few chapters, but I'm sure you will all enjoy it. Look forward to some amazing fights.**

 **Also, Ion and Angel do not belong to me, as I'm sure any of you that read Arctic Swordsman knows. Both of them belong to Marcus Cersey.**

"And then Rin swept under Rose's legs, and then she finished her off! It was so cool!"

Alicia giggled as she listened to Luna's description of Rin's fight yesterday while she and her family sat at the kitchen table of their house. "Sounds like you've got a big fan, Rin."

"Well Luna's cheering definitely helped." Rin said with a smile.

"Oh yeah! Lilly made me this really cute cheerleading outfit!" Luna added.

"Technically I didn't make it. I got a custom order." Lilly admitted.

"Oh really?" Alicia asked as she tried to picture Luna as a cheerleader. The adorable picture in her mind made her giggle. "So you kids are fighting in the next round today?"

Lilly nodded her head. "Yep. It's gonna be a full on battle royale."

"Sounds exciting." Dan said as he took another bite of his lunch. "Good luck."

Rin showed a confident grin. "Just you wait, dad. We're gonna make it through this round with flying colors."

"I know you will." Dan nodded with a smile.

After Rin and Lilly quickly finished their lunch, the two girls headed upstairs. "We're going on ALO now. Wish us luck."

"We'll be rooting for you two." Alicia called to her girls as they ran to their rooms. Seeing her two daughters so excited like this reminded her of when she was around their age. "Sometimes when I look at those two, I see so much of us back in the day."

"Like the world tournament Alfheim hosted?" Dan said. "That was certainly a lot of fun."

"I just hope this one doesn't have any plots behind it that deal with the fate of the world." Alicia pointed out, remembering the incident with Gabriel Miller. "I'd rather avoid those girls having to bear such a heavy responsibility."

"I'd rather them avoid a lot of the things we went through." Dan nodded. "Especially having to fight for two years in a death game."

Alicia nodded her head in agreement. "It wasn't all bad though. At least we found each other in it." As she and her husband finished their lunch, a thought came to her mind. "Hey Dan, you're off today right?"

"Yep. Today's my day off. You need help with any chores?" Dan asked.

Alicia shook her head. "No, I had something else in mind." A grin came to her face. "Why don't we give Luna a hand with cheering?"

* * *

Rin stretched her arms out as she landed on the stadium docks along with the rest of her team. Luna was in her Navigation Pixie form and was riding on Nikko's back.

"So where exactly is this special field we're all fighting on?" Naoki asked.

"A remote area apparently, not anywhere accessible on the map." Yui stated. "When the battle royale starts, everyone competing will be automatically teleported to a random spot in it."

"And I'll be with Tetsuya and Sayaka cheering you all on!" Luna said enthusiastically as she raised her fist into the air.

"Good thing the event will be broadcasted in all of the arenas in the stadium." Tetsuya said. "Otherwise, finding seats would be a nightmare."

Lilly looked at her menu, which showed a list of all the teams participating in the third round. "There's a total of forty-one teams in the third round. All we need to do is stay alive until only sixteen of them are left."

"Forget just hiding around and staying alive. I wanna fight some strong players." Strea grinned.

Lilly sighed and shook her head. "I'm not acting like we'll be able to go the entire time without fighting someone, but I don't think looking for fights is our best option."

"It's a two way deal." Yui said as she thought to herself. "It all depends on a player's confidence in their fighting ability. They can hide and wait it out. Or they can go out and fight to lower the number of teams left quicker."

Lilly looked at the teams on her menu. "Well as long as we avoid any top-contenders I guess we'll be fine."

"Were you able to find out much information on who we should look out for?" Yui asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Research is my specialty, that's why you asked me after all." She took a look at her list and scrolled through it. "Well there's obviously Miku and her group, Team Mighty Five. We already know first hand that they're strong. There's also Team Moonshadow, who made it through the first and second rounds with just two of their members, Shade and Kamui. But there's one team on here that concerns me."

"Team Demise, right?" Yui guessed.

Lilly nodded her head. "According to the results of their matches, they won the first and second round with only their leader, Lucifer. He beat every single player he went up against."

"So we have no clue just how strong the other members are." Yui realized. "But what we do know is that Lucifer is someone not to be taken lightly."

"We should try and avoid a fight with any of them if we can help it." Lilly said, closing her menu. "The entire third round is going to be broadcasted. We should be able to watch videos later and see how the rest of Team Demise fights then."

Yui nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan."

Rin grinned excitedly. "Alright, let's do this! We're gonna kick some butt, right Luna?" The female Salamander looked towards her sister, only to see her staring off into the distance. "Luna?"

Luna pointed over to two players flying over and landing on the docks near them. "Look."

The group all turned to where Luna was pointing and saw Ren and Alice waving over to them. "Hey kids."

Luna quickly flew off of Nikko's back and turned back to her human form, running over to her parents. "Mama! Papa!"

Alice smiled as Luna jumped into her arms. "Hey Luna. How's my little girl?"

"Um…" Rin began. "Not to be rude or anything mom and dad, but what are you doing here?"

"We all thought we'd log in and cheer you on instead of watching on tv." Ren explained.

"All?" Lilly questioned.

Almost on cue, two other couples landed on the docks. The first were Kirito and Asuna, while the second were Helios and Dagger.

"Surprise!" Dagger said with a smile. "We all came to root for you kids."

Naoki, Yui, and Strea all widened their eyes in surprise at seeing their parents suddenly appear. The three of them had known their parents wouldn't be working this afternoon since it was Sunday but it was still somewhat surprising to see them here.

"We should probably try to find some seats." Asuna suggested. "How much longer until the next round starts?"

Yui looked at the clock on her HUD. "About ten minutes."

"We better hurry then." Ren said. "Good luck kids."

Yui and the others watched as their parents headed off to the stands with Luna riding on Alice's shoulders. Tetsuya and Sayaka waved goodbye to their friends. "We should probably try to grab some seats too."

Left alone again, Naoki let out a sigh. "Man, I swear if my mom goes and embarasses me during this..."

"We'll just have to make sure we fight even harder." Yui said to her team. "After all, we're the ones that are gonna win the championship." She raised her fist into the air. "Team Black Firestorm, let's do this!"

The rest of the team all replied with a nod while showing eager grins. No way were they planning on losing this.

* * *

The main arena was filled with talk and cheers as everyone anxiously awaited the start of the third round. The actual fights wouldn't be taking place in the arena, but there were plenty of screens in the air, allowing the crowd to watch what went on. Players were also able to look at certain parts of the feed through their menu.

Ren and the others stood at the railing area at the end of the arena seats. It was the furthest away from the center of the stadium, but it gave them a good view of all the screens.

"Should be starting any minute now." Alice said.

"I can't wait to see Yui and Strea in action" Asuna smiled. "They're gonna do great."

"Heh, the real spotlight's gonna be on Naoki." Helios smirked. "After all, he IS the son of the Unrelenting Psychopath."

"Not to mention the Ripoff Merchant." Dagger added.

Suddenly a new voice spoke up. "Well, look who it is." Everyone's heads turned to see two players walk towards them.

The first of the duo was a male Undine wearing a white sleeveless waistcoat with a short collar around his neck. The coat had dark blue trims all the way down to his waist. On his lower body were a pair of white pants and boots of the same color. Grey fingerless gloves were on his hands. At the back of his waist was a golden hilted estoc. The one at his side was a female Spriggan with long black hair. She was wearing a soot black jacket over a short black crop top. Both her pants and boots were also a black color. Strapped on her back was a black colored spear with a golden blade tip and handguards over the grip.

"Ion! Angel!" Alice waved. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Same thing you guys are I'm guessing." Ion said with a grin. "Great minds think alike I suppose."

"Is your sister coming to watch too?" Ren asked Ion. "Neko's fighting in the tournament too, isn't she?"

"Sad to say, but Emma's out of town." Ion explained. "Being a music star is busy work after all. But she said she'd be watching the round on tv."

"I know a few people that aren't too busy with work though." Kirito mentioned, pointing over in the distance. "Look."

True to the Black Swordsman's word, two more players caught sight of the group and walked over towards them, Klein and Leafa.

Surprisingly enough over the years, Klein had actually managed to find a woman that fell in love with him named Sari. Their son, Ronin, was on the Mighty Five team under the name of Jinketsu.

Leafa and Shinichi had finally become a thing in their later years of high school and married not long after they got out of college. Leafa had taken the kendo world by storm and was now a professional athlete. Perhaps it had been the reason for her daughter taking up the same sport.

"Hey guys." Klein greeted with a wave. "I can't wait to see Ronin out there. My boy's gonna rock."

"At least your kids told you they were competing in this thing." Leafa said. "Erika didn't even mention it to me. I had to hear about it from Kazuto."

"Maybe she just didn't want her mother embarrassing her by cheering." Asuna suggested with a giggle.

"Maybe…. I dunno." Leafa said with a sigh. "That daughter of mine acts so distant sometimes. I wish she'd talk to me about what's bothering her."

As the group chatted amongst themselves, the timer finally hit zero, signalling for the third round to begin. Everyone cheered for the start of the excitement they had all come to see. Everywhere around Alfheim, all of the competing players were simultaneously teleported to the special area set aside for the third round's battle royale.

A lone female announcer stood on the ring and called out to the crowd. "It's time for the third round to begin everyone! Are you ready for some action?!" The response she got was an echoing cheer throughout the arena. "I'm Haruka, and I'll be your announcer for the entire round. Now allow me to explain the details of the third round." On cue, all of the screens in the arena showed a zoomed out view of a large island. "The battleground consists of several types of terrain, from lush forests, to barren desserts. Each player's starting location is completely random. The battle royale will continue until only sixteen teams remain. During that time, it's anything goes."

It was clear the crowd was getting excited. Everyone was ready for the fights to start. Haruka grinned and raised her fist into the air. "Alright then! Let's get this party started! Let the third round begin!"

* * *

As soon as she opened her eyes, Kagero found herself in the middle of a mountain range. She quickly looked around and saw that there weren't any players she could see. Normally, a good strategy would be to lay low and wait for the initial skirmishes to settle down. But Kagero was not the patient type. If no one would come to her, then she'd come to them.

The female Salamander ran through the mountain range. She was too high up to use her wings, so she had little other choice.

"Found you!"

Kagero glanced to her side as a Sylph player sped at her with a sword drawn. She quickly unsheathed her sword and blocked the attack, letting the Sylph's sword skid across her blade. They both jumped back and stared each other down as they stood across from each other.

"I'll finish this quick, Salamander." the Sylph said as he rushed at her. He went in for a swing of his blade, but Kagero didn't even blink as she quickly ducked under the slash and went in at her opponent while they were wide open.

Kagero's sword lit up as she performed four consecutive slashes for the sword skill Horizontal Square. She sheathed her sword back into its sheathe, with her opponent turning into a remain light as it clicked in. ' _Amateur.'_ With her opponent defeated, she continued running in search of players to take down. ' _But of course, that'd be nothing for you either, would it mother?'_

Ever since she was little, Kagero remembered how graceful her mother was when doing kendo. She adored watching her, and soon started taking up the practice herself. Suguha had taught her everything she knew, and her skills were just as sharp as her mother's.

But when she started competing in tournaments, she realized the downside to being the daughter of such a well-known athlete in kendo. It came to her after she won her first tournament.

" _That Erika Kirigaya sure is something."_

" _What'd you expect. She is the child of Suguha Kirigaya after all."_

She had dismissed it as simple gossip at first, but she soon started hearing it more and more. People weren't looking at her as Erika, just the daughter of her mother. All her accomplishments seemed expected. And whenever she failed, people looked at her as if she had disappointed her mother. Of course, Suguha never showed any of this. She had always supported Erika, win or lose.

But she still hated it all. Was it so wrong to want people to see her as an individual, rather than someone else's second? That was what she loved about Alfheim Online. In here, no one knew who she really was, outside of her friends and family. It allowed her to become a well known warrior in her own right, as well as sharpen her skills for the real world.

Her mother had told her all kinds of stories about her days in ALO, especially about her battles against Salamanders when she was a part of the Sylph military. That was one of the reasons she had become a Salamander. She wasn't her mother's daughter in here. She was her enemy.

' _And one day, I'll make sure to surpass you mother.'_ Kagero told herself as she ran. ' _Then they'll all see me as a person.'_

* * *

"Woo! Go Kagero!" Leafa cheered as she watched her daughter make quick work of her opponent. "That's my girl!"

"She's really skilled." Kirito commented. "You sure taught her well, sis."

"Most of it was her, really." Leafa said. "She's got one hell of a drive."

"It's only been ten minutes, and already players are starting to drop like flies!" Haruka announced, seeing several remain lights on screen. "No teams have been eliminated yet though, but it's only a matter of time at this rate." Suddenly, her eyes became fixated on one screen in particular. "Oh, looks like we've got two players coming close to each other now."

Ren and the others watched as an Undine player walked through the wood area, unaware that he was being watched. Suddenly, he froze as something zoomed right past him. He glanced to his right, seeing a kunai lodged into the trunk of a tree.

Before he could even make a move, two more kunai were thrown from his left and right. He stood completely still, scared to move a muscle as he tried to figure out who had thrown them and where they were coming from.

"Show yourself!" the Undine shouted. "Stop hiding and fight me!"

Soon a giggling sound could be heard all around him. "The fight's already begun. And you've already lost."

"Big talk for someone with no aim! You haven't even scratched me yet!"

"Such are the words of a blind fool." Finally the player revealed herself as a female Imp stood above the Undine on one of the branches. She quickly brought out several kunai knives and threw them all the Undine. He quickly tried to jump to the side to avoid them, but he felt something stop his body and push him back. As he was pushed to the other side, another force stopped him. The kunai knives flew past him, above and under his arms. He was about to move his arms, but he soon found them immobilized by invisible forces as well.

"What the hell is going on?!" the Undine exclaimed.

The Imp giggled to herself as she waved her hand in the air. As her fingers passed by one point, a vibration could be seen from a thin line. The vibrating line stretched out, passing by the Undine's waist where he had felt the force push him back earlier.

' _Wire?!'_ the Undine realized.

"This entire time, you've been caught in my trap." the girl said with a grin. "My kunai are wrapped with extremely thin wire, barely visible to the naked eye. And even if you could reach your weapon with your arms, my wire is extremely durable. Regular slashes won't cut it."

The Undine player struggled to move, but to no avail. Wire had him trapped in every direction. As the Imp smirked at him, she brought out the bow attached to her waist. Pulling out an arrow from her quiver, she aimed a shot right for her opponent's head. "Tell your friends the name of who beat you." she said as she fired the arrow, piercing it right through the Undine's head. "Kaguya of Team Moonshadow."

As the Undine player burned away into a remain light from the headshot, cheers spread throughout the crowd. Haruka called out to the players. "Now there's a girl with some tricks up her sleeve! Show 'em what girl power's all about Kaguya!"

Ren smirked as he watched Kaguya hook her bow back behind her waist before moving on. "She's a clever one. She's mixed knife throwing skills with archery skills by using wire to trap her opponents."

"She'll be tough to beat in the woods like that." Dagger commented. "But will that tactic work in the main rounds where all they have to use is a simple fighting ring?"

"I'm sure she's got some plan in mind." Ion said.

Angel quickly pointed to one of the screens. "Look! Neko's fighting now!"

The group looked towards the screen Angel was pointing towards and saw the young Cait Sith currently locked in combat with a large Gnome player wielding an axe. The Gnome swung his axe down at her, but Neko quickly backflipped away.

Neko smirked as she twirled her two daggers around in her hands. "Come on big guy, that all you got?"

"Rrrgh! Cocky little brat!" the Gnome growled as he went in for another strike. He swung his axe sideways, but Neko managed to duck under it.

The dagger in the Cait Sith's left hand lit up as she performed a skill, sending five thrusts directly at his exposed stomach. As the skill ended, she found herself stuck in place while the Gnome stood over her.

"You're mine now!" the player grinned as he swung his axe down.

Asuna gasped as she watched the axe come down towards Neko. "Look out!"

To everyone's surprise however, as the light from her left dagger died down her right-handed dagger began to glow. Neko let out a roar as she leaped up, dodging the axe while performing three continuous spinning slashes in the air. The Gnome fell back from the damage and looked at Neko in shock.

Ren and the others were just as shocked too. Ion looked towards Kirito. "Wasn't that your Skill Connect technique?"

Kirito nodded his head while trying to contain his surprise. "I think it was. But I can't believe she was able to pull it off. Even Yui hasn't been able to master it yet."

"She's good, no doubt about that." Alice said.

As her opponent got back up, Neko felt her body regain the ability to move. She lunged at him, bringing both her daggers to the Gnome's neck.

"Damn you…" he growled.

"Sorry. Maybe next year." Neko smirked as she decapitated her opponent. She jumped off him and walked away as he fell over and burned away into a remain light. "Though with your skills, you're still a decade away from being on my level."

The crowd cheered at the surprising display from the little Cait Sith. Ion smiled at his niece, but still shook his head with a sigh. "That girl's ego is as big as ever."

"Not as big as a certain _someone_ though." Angel pointed out, eyeing Helios.

Alice let out a giggle. "Thank god for that."

"Well that was quite a surprise." Haruka said. "It just goes to show that size indeed isn't everything. Now let's take a look at one of the top contenders for the tournament after the first two rounds, Team Demise's leader, Lucifer."

As the announcer said this, one of the screens changed and showed a feed of Lucifer walking through a field of flowers. To his side was the forest area, but he stayed clear of that. Instead, he walked along the border between the two areas.

"Well this is boring." Klein said. "Nothing's happening."

Suddenly, an arrow came flying out from the woods, going towards the back of Lucifer's head. The male Imp didn't even bother to look, simply dodging the projectile by tilting his head. The arrow flew past him, impaling itself into the ground.

"I was wondering when you'd finally make a move." Lucifer said, casually unsheathing the sword from his waist. "It was starting to look like you'd spend the entire third round stalking me."

Quickly emerging from the trees, multiple players spread out and quickly surrounded Lucifer. He counted four in total, with a fifth most likely still in the trees.

"My, my, it seems like I'm quite at the disadvantage." Lucifer said with a shrug. "Whatever am I to do?"

Haruka looked at the screen, seeing Lucifer's dire situation. "Well folks, I think we all know where this is headed. It seems an entire team has managed to regroup and now has the leader of Team Demise at their mercy."

"So much for him." Helios said. "Oh well, I'm sure the rest of his team will manage to pull through."

"I'm not so sure." Ren said. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Come on Ren, it's four on one. And these guys don't look like pushovers."

Ren still wasn't convinced. He kept his eyes on the screen showing Lucifer and the other players.

"Look!" Luna exclaimed. "Lilly's fighting!"

"Really?" Alice looked in the direction Luna was pointing. True to her word, Lilly was in the middle of a fight against a female Leprechaun using a pair of battle axes. The two of them were locked in combat near a cliff at the edge of the map.

Lilly jumped back as her opponent swung one of her battle axes down at her. She quickly snapped her fingers, sending a blast of fire at the Leprechaun. "Take this!"

The female Leprechaun managed to keep her body low and duck under the flames. She swung her axe at Lilly, sending the girl back towards the edge of the cliff. Lilly felt her feet reach the cliffside, with only the ocean below to greet her if she fell. The Leprechaun went in for another strike. "This is the end!"

Having no other options, Lilly quickly dived under and headed for the water. As she fell, she brought out her wings and prepared to fly away, while chanting her Elemental Pistol spell for another round of ammo.

"Not happening!" the girl said as she took one of her axes and threw it at Lilly. The Cait Sith gasped, quickly pulling out her sword to deflect the weapon. The axe bounced off, but Lilly's opponent had already closed in. She swung her axe down at Lilly and dived down under the water with her.

"Lilly!" Luna gasped.

Everyone watched silently at the water surface, waiting for one of the two girls to come up. Out of nowhere, a wide stream of lightning spread around the water, creating a huge splash around the area. A few more moments of silence passed before a player surfaced, dragging themselves up to the rocky cove next to the cliff. Alice and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the player was Lilly.

Lilly pulled herself up and laid down on the rock, gasping for breath while electricity racked her body. "Can't believe I actually used a lightning blast underwater. Man, that was a desperate move."

It was clear that the Cait Sith's HP was in the red. But that was to be expected. Lightning spells were far more powerful underwater, but they also damaged all players in the area, including the user.

"Just… gonna take a quick rest now…" Lilly breathed heavily. "Yeah… that sounds good…"

"Yay Lilly!" Luna cheered, jumping up and down while waving her pom poms. "You show 'em sis!"

Alice smiled as she watched her daughter. ' _You definitely inherited your father's brain, Lilly. But it also looks like you inherited his recklessness too.'_

"Looks like Lilly's going to be fine." Ren said with a smile.

"She's not the only one." Kirito said in a serious tone. "Look at Lucifer's screen."

Everyone's heads turned to the screen that had been showing Lucifer and gasped. The entire field was filled with remain lights scattered around. But Lucifer seemed perfectly fine as he sheathed his sword at his waist.

"What a horrendous melody." Lucifer said, walking away. "I was hoping for a player that could help my blade truly sing."

Ren and the others weren't the only ones that had taken notice of Lucifer's surprising win. Many players in the audience were stunned into silence. Even the announcer Haruka needed a moment to compose herself.

"This is incredible folks! I have no idea how, but Lucifer seems to have beaten all of the players that had surrounded him and then some!" Haruka said. "Clearly, Lucifer is a force to be reckoned with." Several screens changed, showing feeds of some of the other members of his team. "And it's not just him. Team Demise's kill count is rising fast. The team of five has already killed ninety-seven players in total."

Everyone in the arena gasped at the shocking number. "Ninety-seven?!" Asuna exclaimed.

"The kids might have their work cut out for them." Ren said. "This Team Demise group is strong."

"They're not the only ones." Kirito commented. "Check out the screen at the top right."

Everyone looked towards the screen Kirito was talking about and realized what he meant. There was another fight about to start deep in the forest area. A battle between two Spriggan players.

Yui and Shade.

 **A/N: Hope you are all enjoying the battle royale so far. There will be several fights that go on throughout it, so be ready for some action.**


	22. The Inherited Will

**A/N: Hello everybody. I know you've been waiting for this fight so I won't take up any of your time. Let's get straight to the action.**

Yui walked through the thick wooded area of the island battlefield for the third round. She had both of her swords equipped and sheathed along her back. The female Spriggan stayed on guard as she walked. With a place this densely packed with trees, an enemy could come from anywhere.

A little over an hour had passed since the third round began. During that time, Yui had run into a few players along the way, but none of them had proved to be any match for her. With this much time having passed though, she could only assume almost all of the weaker players had been weeded out.

Yui could only wonder how the others were doing. She hadn't run into any of her teammates so far so she had no way of knowing if any of them were still alive or not. She doubted though that they had been defeated. They hadn't come this far only to get taken down so early.

"So you're the Black Swordswoman, huh?"

The moment the voice registered in her ears, Yui reached for her swords and turned to face the player that had uttered them. She looked at one of the branches on the trees around her and saw a male Spriggan with a katana at his waist and a cloth mask covering the lower half of his face.

"Shade of Team Moonshadow, correct?" Yui asked. "I'm surprised you didn't try and attack me from behind when you had the chance."

"I might have done that if you were some simple nobody." Shade said, jumping off the branch and landing on the ground. "But against an opponent like you, I want a fair fight. No cheap tricks. Besides, something tells me you would have sensed me anyway."

"I'm flattered." Yui replied as she grabbed the hilts of her two swords and slowly unsheathed them. "Very well then. I accept your challenge."

Shade unsheathed his katana and got into his fighting stance. "I've heard a lot of stories about you. Time to see if you're as strong as the rumors say."

Yui and Shade stared each other down, both of them not moving an inch. Then, in the blink of an eye, both players sped at each other. They met in the middle, with Yui's two blades pushing against Shade's long katana. Yui managed to break their stalemate and went in for an attack, swinging the sword in her left hand down at her opponent. Shade wasn't going down so easily however and sidestepped away from the sword before going in for a slash of his own. Yui tried to move away, but still received a cut along part of her stomach from Shade's blade. As Shade slashed past her however, he felt the cold steel of Yui's Mystletainn cut along his back.

Both players distanced themselves from each other, recovering from their initial clash. A smirk formed on Yui's lips. "It's been awhile since I've met someone able to fight as well as you. This will be fun."

"Indeed. It seems you're going to give me a run for my money." Shade said. "I couldn't ask for a better opponent."

Over in the stadium, all eyes were on the fight between the two Spriggans. Haruka addressed the crowd, sensing their anticipation. "Well folks, it looks like we've got a good match going on here. Shade of Team Moonshadow and Yui of Team Blazing Firestorm. Shade is a newcomer to the ALO Annual tournament, his past shrouded in mystery. But don't let that fool you, he's shown he has what it takes to fight on this stage during the first two rounds. Yui on the other hand is a player that has constantly been known as one of the top players in all of Alfheim. Her dual wielding style is very similar to that of the famous Kirito back in the day. There are many who even speculate that she is an apprentice of his."

Kirito let out a chuckle as he heard the announcer. "If only they knew the whole story."

"Yui sure is incredible though." Alice said as she watched her and Shade fight. "She really does remind me of you back in the day."

"Just wait. She hasn't even begun to go all out." Kirito said.

Luna jumped up while waving her pom poms. "Go Yui! You can do it! Fight, fight, fight!"

The battle continued between Yui and Shade as both players clashed, their blades striking left and right with neither one able to get a clean hit in.

Yui roared as she put everything into offense. Shade however was able to block each of her strikes as he held his stance, moving his katana to intercept each of the female player's slashes. As he deflected yet another slash, he moved into attack by dashing forward with a horizontal slash. Yui just barely managed to dodge by tilting her body back with Shade's blade passing over her. Shade sped past her, but as Yui straightened her posture back up and turned around, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Shade use the trunk of a tree as a springboard to come right back at her. His blade ripped through Yui's avatar, taking out a large chunk of her HP.

"Rin wasn't kidding when she said you were strong." Yui smirked. "Your technique is impressive."

"I take it she said a lot." Sahde responded. "She's quite loud mouthed."

"Maybe, but you sure seem to have a reason for pushing her buttons." Yui countered. "Are you trying to make a worthy opponent out of her?"

"I never said she was weak. Just loud mouthed." Shade said. "That girl was one of the first people to make me go all out in a long time. I simply pushed her to the next level with what I said, nothing more."

"Well you certainly succeeded. I think you'll be quite surprised when you fight Rin again." Yui told him. "Or I should say, if you fight her again. There's no guarantee you and your team will make it through this round."

Shade grinned under his mask. "Are you truly so confident that you'll win this fight?"

"What can I say? I like a challenge."

"Very well then. Let's continue."

Yui wasted no time in agreeing as she sped in with a thrust from her right handed sword. Shade managed to tilt his body sideways enough to avoid it, while using his blade to block Yui's sword from slashing at him. The two blades skidded across each other and ended with the two players standing across from each other with another draw.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Shade said as she dashed forward with his katana positioned for a downwards slash.

Yui brought up both of her swords to block his attack. ' _I can block his attack no problem. Then I'll use that opportunity to end this.'_

As Shade closed in, Yui readied herself to block. She saw Shade begin to move his sword to the side. Yui quickly reacted and readied to block the sword, but what happened next surprised her. Shade's blade suddenly changed direction, moving in the opposite direction. Just as Yui was about to use her second sword to block it from its new course, the movement changed again.

' _What's going on?!'_

"Take this!" Shade yelled out as he swerved through Yui's defenses and delivered a clean slash to her, ripping off another chunk of her HP and bringing her health into the red.

As Shade moved past Yui with his attacked finished, Yui stood still with her back to him. ' _What was that attack just now? His sword changed direction so many times, yet the movement was so fluent.'_

"I take it you were surprised by my Shadow Illusion Slash." Shade smirked as he turned around towards Yui. "No player has ever been able to block it. Trying that was your mistake."

Yui growled to herself, trying to figure out what to do. Her health was low, and another direct hit from Shade would bring it down to zero. She had to end this quickly.

Shade seemed to have the same idea as he went in for another slash, this time going for a regular horizontal slash with his katana.

Yui knew she couldn't let this hit. She swung her sword up to parry Shade's slash. "Take this!"

Under his mask, Shade smirked. "Too slow." He moved his sword back, revealing his strike to be merely a feint. Yui's sword connected only with the air as it swung upwards, leaving her exposed. Shade quickly used the opportunity to thrust his blade at Yui, but his eyes widened in surprise as Yui's second sword intercepted his blade, as if she had been expecting the feint from the beginning.

"You'll need to be faster than that to catch me off guard." Yui smirked.

Both players leaped back, putting some distance between them. The wooded area they were fighting in was still void of other players, giving them both the privacy they wanted. It wouldn't do for someone else to appear and interrupt the duel, even if this was a battle royale.

"I've heard a lot about you, Black Swordswoman." Shade said. "The rumors say you're as good as the Black Swordsman of SAO, even having the same fighting style as him. I'm glad to see those rumors were true."

"Well the Black Swordsman IS my dad after all." Yui grinned. "I learned everything I know about wielding a sword from him."

"Interesting." Shade readied his katana and got into his battle stance. "Then that makes you an even worthier opponent than I had hoped for. But unfortunately, this fight can't go on forever."

"You're right. It can't." Yui said as she readied her two swords. "And to thank you for giving me such a challenge, I'll treat you to something special." She pointed Mystletainn directly at Shade. "I have two killer moves at my disposal. I only use them against players that force me to go all out. You're about to witness one of them."

"I'm honored." Shade replied. "Now then, show me what you've got."

Both players silently stood across from each other. Finally, they both dashed towards each other at full speed. Shade went in for his finishing move, the Shadow Illusion Slash. No one had ever been able to follow it's path, not even Yui.

"Not this time!" Yui yelled as she spun her body in a diagonal circular motion. Her swords spinning blocked Shade's slash, making the masked player widen his eyes in shock.

"The same trick won't work on me twice!" Yui said. "And now you're finished!" She closed in towards her opponent, with Mystletainn becoming veiled in a violet light. ' _Watch me mom.'_

* * *

" _Hiyah!" Asuna yelled as she thrusted her rapier forward. Yui widened her eyes as she was hit by the powerful strike and was sent tumbling back._

 _As her dizziness cleared, Yui saw her mother standing over her with her rapier pointed at her while showing a confident grin. "Looks like I win again sweetie."_

 _Yui let out a sigh. "Darn it. I really thought I had you this time."_

 _Asuna smiled as she helped her daughter to her feet. "You've gotten a lot better Yui. You really are your father's daughter."_

" _Well I still have a lot to learn." Yui said. "It helps having the top two players of SAO as my parents. But just wait, one day I'm gonna surpass both of you."_

" _That's my girl." Asuna said with a proud smile. She kneeled down and looked at her daughter. "Hey Yui… do you remember when Yuuki died? When everyone was gathered together?"_

" _Of course." Yui nodded. A small frown came to her face. "I really miss her. I wish she was still here."_

" _Me too, sweetie." Asuna told her. "She gave me a parting gift to always remember her by though. Her original sword skill."_

" _Mother's Rosario." Yui said. "Whenever I see you use it, I feel like I'm watching a ghost of Yuuki."_

 _Asuna let out a small giggle. "Well you see, I made Yuuki a promise when she gave it to me. I promised her that when I left this world, I'd pass the skill on to someone else. That way, her memory would live on until the end of time."_

 _A smile came to Yui's face. "I can't think of a better way to honor her memory."_

 _Asuna nodded her head. "And I think the time has finally come to pass the skill onto someone else." The female Undine opened her menu and shuffled through it. After pressing a few tabs, Asuna stood back up and pulled back her rapier, the weapon becoming veiled in a violet light. "Haaaaaaaahhhhh!" With a loud cry, Asuna performed the Mother's rosario skill in front of Yui. The power behind it forced Yui to bring her arms up in front of her, barely able to withstand the shockwaves._

 _Once the skill finished, a scroll manifested at the tip of Asuna's rapier. Asuna reached out and grabbed the scroll before kneeling down again next to her daughter. "This is the skill. Mother's Rosario." She looked into Yui's eyes and smiled. "I want you to have it."_

" _M-Me?!" Yui gasped. "B-But it's something so important!"_

" _That's why I want to give it to you." Asuna told her. "Yuuki gave this to me because I was special to her. So I want to follow in her footsteps and give it to someone special to me."_

" _Mom…" Yui didn't know what to say. She had never expected something like this._

" _What are you waiting for? Open your menu."_

 _Yui nodded her head and opened up her menu, going to the skill tab. A window appeared and Asuna inserted the scroll into it. The window closed and Yui saw the 11-hit combo skill in her list of sword skills. The female Spriggan wiped a tear beginning to form in her eyes. "Thanks mom. I'll be sure to treasure it."_

" _I know you will, Yui." Asuna told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just promise me something. That when the day comes for you to leave this world, you'll pass on that skill to someone important to you."_

" _I will mom. I promise."_

" _That's my girl." Asuna smiled._

* * *

Yui roared as she thrusted her sword at Shade. Five consecutive thrusts connected with him in a diagonal motion, followed by another five thrusts in the opposite direction, forming an X on Shade's chest. Just when he thought it was over, he saw that the glow of Yui's sword hadn't faded. It was still shining brightly.

"Take this! Mother's Rosario!" Yui yelled as she delivered the final blow of the skill she had inherited from her mother.

Yui shot past Shade holding her stance with her Mystletainn held out. Silence followed before Shade fell over and began to burn away into a remain light.

"That was an excellent match. Thank you." Shade said as the last bits of him burned away, leaving a black and violet flame in his place.

With the fight over, Yui sheathed both of her swords onto her back. "I look forward to the day we get to fight again Shade. Until then." With that said, Yui quickly drank a health potion to recover a portion of her HP before running off through the woods.

Back at the stadium, players cheered for Yui's victory, with Asuna cheering the loudest. "Alright Yui! That's my girl!"

Kirito had a proud smile on his face. ' _Well done Yui. You've really come a long way.'_

"Well folks, I think we can all agree that was the most exciting fight we've seen so far this round." Haruka said as she addressed the crowd. "That fight could have gone either way, but the player that came out on top was the dual wielding badass Yui. But now let's turn our attention to some other fights going on."

One of the screens changed, showing Jinketsu fighting an Imp player in the dessert area. Jinketsu slashed his katana at the Imp, but it was quickly blocked. The two players clashed their blades against each other, staying in a deadlock of strength.

"Yeah, you show 'em Jinketsu!" Klein cheered.

As the stalemate ended, Jinketsu leaped back to gain some distance. As he fell back, he chanted out a spell, engulfing the blade of his sword in flames. Quickly taking the initiative, Jinketsu went back on the offensive, dodging a slash from his opponent and then delivering a slash of his own, added with the fire damage he had given to his sword with his last spell.

Alice showed a teasing grin at Klein. "Looks like Jinketsu knows how to play as a samurai better than you, Klein. He's actually using black magic on top of his sword fighting."

"Hey!"

Leafa looked at each of the screens. "I wonder where Kagero is."

Ion pointed over to one of the screens towards the right. "I think I see her over there. In the mountain area."

Leafa quickly looked towards the screen Ion was pointing to. Sure enough, there was the ponytailed Salamander daughter of hers taking on yet another player.

"You're finished." Kagero said as she sliced her opponent in half, causing him to burn away into a remain light. With her opponent defeated, Kaegro sheathed her sword into its sheath. "Hmph, piece of cake."

So far, Kagero had been on a rampage, taking down every single player in sight. The female Salamander had yet to encounter a challenge yet during the battle royale. All of the players had been decent at best so far.

"Hey cuz. What's up?"

Kagero looked to a cliff above her and saw Strea waving down at her. "Man, this has been a really exciting round, hasn't it? I've been kicking butt left and right. What about you?"

"More than you, I bet." Kagero grinned. "And I think I just found my next opponent."

"Really?" Strea asked. She looked around the area. "I don't see anyone. Where are they?"

"Right there." Kagero said, pointing a finger directly at Strea.

The female Gnome blinked in surprise. "Hang on Kagero! Shouldn't we wait until after the third round to do this? We both want our teams to make it past this, right?"

"If you want that, I suggest you don't lose." Kagero told her, starting to scale the cliff jump by jump from the ledges.

Strea widened her eyes and quickly pulled out her large sword, blocking the strike that came from Kagero. Strea jumped back, quickly being put on the defensive with her cousin's relentless assault.

"Is this about something personal? I'm thinking it's something personal?" Strea said.

"It's not." Kagero replied. "I'm just going to prove my strength. To do that, everyone else is an opponent to me. Even you."

"Is this about the time I accidently broke your shinai when you were eight?"

"THAT WAS YOU?!"

"... Did I say when I broke your shinai? I meant when Yui broke your shinai."

Kagero growled and began to put even more effort into her slashes as she attacked Strea. Despite Strea's build as a tank, the female Gnome knew how to dodge well as she nimbly ducked and maneuvered her body to avoid her cousin's onslaught.

"Is it too late to say I'm sorry?" Strea asked.

Kagero glared at Strea in anger at how carefree she was acting. "Stop messing around and fight me seriously!"

Strea blocked yet another slash with her sword and jumped back to avoid another one. Whenever Kagero got like this, there was no reasoning with her. She had a powerful drive to win. "Looks like I've got no choice."

As Strea was about to attack Kagero, both girls caught sight of a projectile flying their way in the corner of their eyes. Strea and Kagero leaped out of the way as a large chunk of rock crashed into the ground where they had just been a moment ago. Both of them looked towards the direction of where the rock had come from and saw a bulky male Gnome with short brown hair. He was wearing black colored leather armor padding over a brown shirt. On his lower body were a pair of bulky grey pants and muddy brown boots with black soles. In his hand was a piece of some kind of meat.

"Do you mind, pal? We're kinda having a family moment." Strea asked. ' _Oh thank god. A distraction.'_

The new arrival showed a look of annoyance. "I was hoping one hand worth of rock would be enough. Guess I'm gonna have to use both hands." He took one last bite of the meat he was holding before tossing it away. "You're going to pay for making me waste perfectly good meat."

Strea got her weapon ready as she prepared to face the bulky Gnome. "Hey Kagero, how about we team up and take this guy down."

"Fine by me." Kagero said, readying her own blade as well. "This jerk needs to learn some manners."

' _Perfect. She'll forget all about that shinai thing with this.'_

"And don't think I've forgotten about my shinai. You're paying for that after this round is over."

' _Damnit!'_

"So what's your name, chubby?" Kagero asked their opponent.

The Gnome gave a small glare towards Kagero, which didn't seem to faze the female Salamander in the slightest. "The name's Gluttony."

"That makes way too much sense." Strea muttered under her breath.

"You say something, girl?" Gluttony asked.

"N-No! Nothing at all!" Strea stuttered. ' _I can't get a break today.'_

Gluttony began chanting a spell as he held out his two hands in front of him. Kagero and Strea both ran towards him, not willing to stand around and let him do whatever he was planning. To their surprise though, as he was finishing the incantation, chunks of earth began to rip out from the ground and fly towards him. The chunks collected towards his two hands as if they were magnets, and formed into two large boulders. "Take this!"

Kagero quickly jumped over the first giant rock as it flew towards her, nimbly dodging it as her body twirled over it. Unfortunately, the second one crashed into her as she was still midair, sending her flying back while taking out a portion of her health.

"Kagero!" Strea exclaimed. She didn't have much time to worry about her cousin as Gluttony leaped towards her. She jumped back as Gluttony crashed down by her, ripping out a chunk of the earth with his spell before throwing it at her. Strea swung her sword at the rock, shattering it due to its small size compared to the earlier ones. But Gluttony wasn't planning on making things that easy for her as he closed in on Strea with the opening provided and reached out his arm, grabbing her by the throat before slamming her into the ground.

Strea felt her back crash into the ground. Gluttony held her there as he held out his free hand, gathering rock with his spell again. Strea gasped as she tried to break free, but Gluttony had her pinned down.

"Die!" Gluttony grinned as he prepared to swing the rock down at the female Gnome. Before he did though, he saw Kagero in the corner of his eye. She was about to slash at him with her blade, but Gluttony quickly reacted and held out the rock in his hand to block the attack. The large chunk of earth crumbled after Kagero's sword hit it, but he had saved himself from losing a large amount of HP.

With Gluttony's attention focussed on Kagero, Strea used the opportunity to break free of his hold and deliver a kick to the bulky Gnome's cheek. He stumbled back a bit, releasing his grip around Strea's throat. Strea got back up and went in to attack, impaling her blade into Gluttony's stomach.

"Gah!" Gluttony felt the pain of the blade driven into him as his health plummeted. He managed to endure it long enough to grab the hilt of Strea's sword, preventing her from pulling it out. As Strea wondered what he was doing, Gluttony created another chunk of earth from the ground around him.

Strea's eyes widened as he held his hand up above him, the collection of rock growing bigger. When he was finished, the rock in Gluttony's hand was even bigger than him. And she was not going to like the damage she'd take if he hit her with that. She desperately tried to yank her sword out, but to no avail. Gluttony showed a malicious grin as he swung his arm down, the chunk of rock in it crashing into Strea. The impact caused the rock to slowly crumble away, revealing a very beaten up Strea under it with only a sliver of health left.

"Talk about being between a rock and a hard place…" Strea moaned as she laid on the rocky ground.

As Gluttony was about to finish her off, he was forced to fall back when Kagero came at him from above with a slash. Strea showed a grin at her cousin. "Aw, you do care."

"Just shut up and heal." Kagero said, tossing her a health potion. "This guy's tough. Just after reciting his spell once, he seems to be able to use that rock attack whenever he wants."

"If that's the case, then there's gotta be a time limit." Strea said before gulping down the potion.

Kagero readied her blade. They could just try and evade Gluttony's attacks, waiting him out until the time for his spell was up. But if they did that, then he would just run once the time got close to zero. ' _There's no choice. We'll just have to stay on the offensive and wait for his spell to run out.'_

Gluttony charged at the two girls. "I'm not just gonna stand here and let you have all the time in the world to think." He held out both hands as he ran, gathering two rocks, one in each hand.

Strea looked at Kagero. "I've got an idea. Follow me." she said as she quickly brought out her wings and took off into the distance.

Kagero followed after her cousin, flying through the air. Gluttony threw both of his rocks at the girls before taking off after them. Strea and Kagero looked behind them, barely dodging the two projectiles that came their way. The two girls continued to fly, going to a canyon area. There were long bridges of stone connecting certain parts of the canyon, making it look like a maze.

"So are you gonna let me in on this plan of yours?" Kagero asked.

"Get his attention. I'm going to attack him from above." Strea explained.

Kagero didn't know why Strea had them fly out this far just for something as basic as that, but went along with it. She lowered her speed slightly, just enough so that Gluttony would catch up without getting suspicious. The female Salamander turned around and went in for an attack on the bulky Gnome. Gluttony dodged her slashes as best he could, but he knew it wouldn't last long. He saw Kagero's blade come at him again and he grabbed it, the sharp metal digging into his hand and cutting away some of his health. Kagero growled in frustration as she tried to get her sword free, but Gluttony wasn't willing to let go. He was about to throw a punch at her, but noticed a shadow over him. He looked up and saw Strea flying down at him, his eyes widening as she closed in. Gluttony let go of Kagero's sword and tried to get away, but it was too late.

"Take this! Super dive bomb attack!" Strea said with a grin as she drove her sword down into Gluttony, pushing him down towards the ground. He tried to get away, but Strea's sword was lodged into him. Strea continued flying down until they crashed into on of the stone bridges in the canyon area. The impact created a large crater with Gluttony's HP in the red.

Strea yanked her sword out of Gluttony and fell back towards the edge of the crater. Kagero descended down and landed next to her.

"So what do we do now? His HP may have taken a hit, but he's still standing. And this canyon area makes it easy for him to get away if he flees."

Strea looked at Kagero with a knowing grin on her face. "Where are we standing right now?"

Kagero look at Strea with a confused expression, before realizing where Strea was going with this. A grin slowly came to her face. "I get you. Not bad."

Strea cuffed her hands and shout down to Gluttony in the crater. "Hey you big dummy! Wanna give up now?!"

Gluttony got back on his feet and glared at the two girls. "First you interrupt my snack with your fighting, and now this?! I'm gonna make you both pay!"

"That so? Those rocks won't hit us with your lousy aim!" Kagero added.

"You wanna bet?!" Gluttony glared. He held his two hands near each other. The earth below him began to rip up from the ground, gradually collecting in between his two hands. "I'm gonna bury you both into the ground you damn-"

A small cracking noise below Gluttony made him go silent. He looked down and gasped as the ground beneath him crumbled away, leaving him nothing but the bottom of the canyon to greet him. He fell down with the large rock he had been making shatter as he lost his focus. "Damn you!"

Strea and Kagero quickly flew down after him, going in to finish their opponent off before he could regain his balance midair. Strea flew down to seal the deal. "You're finished!"

Barely reacting in time, Gluttony managed to dodge Strea's slash. He followed up by grabbing her and holding her tight as they fell. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" Suddenly he felt the cold sting of steel cut through his back, the steel of Kagero's sword to be exact.

"Damn...it…" Gluttony grunted as he burned away into a remain light.

Free of her opponent's grasp, Strea quickly brought out her wings and kept herself midair before she could crash into the ground. The female Gnome let out a sigh of relief as she and Kagero slowly descended to the ground.

"Man, that guy was tough." Strea said with an exhausted sigh once her feet hit the ground. "I'm not sure if either of us could have taken him alone."

"Those Team Demise guys are definitely going to be top contenders in this tournament." Kagero added. "I'm going to have to train even harder after this round is over."

"Rin and my sister are going to enjoy the challenge." Strea sighed.

Kagero took out a health potion and began to drink it. "Well now that he's dealt with, we can continue our fight."

Strea felt a cold sweat go down her back. "Right…" Suddenly, the female Gnome gasped and pointed towards a shadowy area of the canyon. "Look out! Another enemy!"

Kagero quickly reacted and turned towards the direction Strea was pointing, getting into her battle stance. "I don't see anyone. Where are they Strea? …. Strea?" The female Salamander turned around only to see Strea no longer standing there. What she did see however was a brown dot in the air getting farther and farther away. "Oh hell no! Where do you get off ditching me like that you coward! Get back here!"

Strea could hear Kagero's yelling in the distance, but she didn't slow down. ' _Thank god for distractions.'_

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the fights in this chapter. Next chapter will be the last one for the third round, so look forward to some interesting fights.**


	23. Fighting for Honor

**A/N: Hello readers. Time for the final chapter of the third round. I'm glad to hear from the reviews that you guys are enjoying it so far, and I hope you enjoy the fights this chapter too. Also, since I have been getting multiple questions about it, no the characters of Team Demise are not a reference to FMA or FMA:B. I simply wanted to use names for them regarding the seven sins. The names being the same are purely coincidental.**

"Alright everyone, I wanna hear you. Have you been enjoying the third round so far?" Haruka asked the crowd, to which she got a response in the form of echoing cheers from those in the stands. "Well we're slowly starting to wind down towards the end of it. There's only twenty-six teams left, and many of them only have a couple players left. It won't be long before the top sixteen teams moving on are decided."

Kirito took a look at his menu, seeing the players still alive. "Looks like the kids are still doing well."

"It's hard to believe none of them have gotten taken out yet." Klein commented.

"Well Lilly managed to recover the damage from that battle earlier with her healing spell." Alice said. "Knowing her, she's playing it smart and staying hidden."

"Yui's steadily healing her health after that fight she had with Shade." Asuna added. "I doubt either of them will be fighting much for the rest of the round."

"What about Miku and Apollo?" Angel asked. "I haven't seen either of them featured for almost an hour."

Ion put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "No need to worry. I'm sure we'll see them both soon."

The group continued watching some of the fights on the screens. After another ten minutes or so, Dagger caught sight of Miku in the meadow area. Ion and Angel's attention quickly went to their daughter.

The female Imp walked through the meadow area alone with her sword at her waist. She had gotten into a few fights so far, but none of them had brought her any major challenge. It would seem she would have to wait until the later rounds to find worthier opponents.

"Miku! I finally found you!"

The sudden shout caused Miku to instinctively reach for her sword, but her body relaxed when she saw it was her brother Apollo rather than an enemy. "Oh it's only you, Apollo. I almost cut you in half thinking you were a player on another team."

"Good thing I didn't tap you on the shoulder or something then." Apollo said with a light-hearted yet nervous chuckle.

Miku showed a smile to her brother. "Well now that we've found each other, we can watch each other's back. It'll make it harder for players to take either of us out."

Apollo nodded his head. "Have you seen any of the others yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I'm sure they're-" Miku was cut off as she saw something in the corner of her eye. "Look out!"

Apollo reacted quickly along with his sister and dodged the two throwing knives sent their way. They took to the air in an attempt to get away. Miku looked towards where the throwing knives had come from, unable to see any players there. "Damn, they must be hiding in the woods."

"It's ok. We know what direction they're at." Apollo said. "They can't get the drop on us again."

That was what the siblings thought at least, but what they didn't know was the presence of a player behind them. The mystery player quickly chanted a spell that shot out a net of electricity towards Miku and Apollo. Miku heard the crackling sound of the electricity at the last moment and turned to see the net coming at them. She pushed her brother out of the way, taking the hit and falling to the ground. Electricity wracked her body as the female Imp saw a paralysis icon next to her HUD.

"Damnit Lust. Can't that girl even do a simple distraction right?" a voice said. Apollo looked towards the direction of where the spell had come from. Standing there was a female Sylph with long emerald hair that had a smooth sheen to it. She wore a green and white battle dress with a rapier sheathed at her waist, the hilt of which was a golden color with a fancy design.

Apollo stood between the Sylph and Miku, his axe gripped tightly in his hand. "Who are you?"

The girl smirked as she drew her rapier and pointed it at Apollo. "My name, peasant, is Pride. You would do well to remember it. And the Pooka behind you is named Lust."

Apollo turned around to see another player walk out of the woods, most likely the one that had thrown the knives earlier. It was a female Pooka with long silver hair and an outfit that was… revealing to say the least. On her back was a long spear with a pinkish red handle and a pitch black tip.

"Hello there, handsome. The name's Lust." the female Pooka introduced herself. "You seem like a smart fellow, so why don't we make a deal? You back away and let us kill that Imp there. In return, you and I can have some alone time."

"You're joking, right?" Apollo asked.

"Oh I never kid about a good time between me and a guy." Lust giggled. "What do you say? Not a bad deal, huh?"

Apollo shook his head in disgust. "I don't know who you think you are, but there's no way I'm abandoning my teammate, let alone my sister."

Lust sighed and shook her head. "Such a shame. It's so hard finding a man that's skilled yet willing to be lead around by me."

"No matter. We'll just take you out first." Pride said. "Lust and I will be more than enough to handle you."

"Actually, I'm gonna sit this one out." Lust said with a smirk. "I want to watch this boy in action."

"What?!" Pride asked with a glare. "You're abandoning me just like that?!"

"Oh don't be like that, Pride." Lust giggled. "I just want to watch the show. Besides, this should be no problem for someone of the _prestigious_ Tatsuro family, right?"

Pride glared at Lust. "Fine. I'll deal with this myself. But when this is over, you and I are going to have a talk."

"Ooooh, scary." Lust said in a mocking tone. She looked over at Apollo. "Good luck boy. Her attitude may be lacking but you'll need all the help you can get against Pride. Toodeloo."

Lust fell back towards the woods, leaving Apollo alone with Pride, and Miku paralyzed near him. ' _It'll be at least another minute or two before Miku's paralysis wears off. I'll need to keep this Pride girl away from her until then.'_

"Come on then, peasant." Pride taunted. "Try and make this entertaining."

Apollo accepted her invitation as he brought out his wings and charged at Pride. ' _No time for me to use buff spells either. Judging from her build, she'd move in and attack before I could finish. So that just means I'll need to go on the offensive right from the start.'_ With a loud roar, he swung his axe down at her. Pride easily back-stepped away from the attack however, distancing herself from the male Leprechaun. As Apollo lifted his axe back up, the female Sylph quickly went in and delivered a series of thrusts with her rapier. Apollo felt each stab pierce through his body as he stumbled back.

As Pride went in for another thrust of her rapier, Apollo quickly brought his shield up to defend himself. Pride's rapier bounced off, making her lose her balance slightly. Apollo took advantage of the opportunity and swung his axe at the female player. Pride held her rapier up to block the attack, but the force behind the swing still sent her flying back slightly. As she did, Apollo gave chase. He lifted his axe, which gained the light of a sword skill. Pride barely managed to get out of the way as Apollo swung the axe down, creating a huge shockwave and a cloud of dust from the impact.

Pride spread her wings and took off into the air directly above the dust cloud. She stared at it, not seeing Apollo emerge from it yet. ' _No matter where he comes out from, I'll be able to spot him from here.'_

Apollo made no noticeable moves to escape though. As the dust cloud settled, he was seen standing at the same spot he had swung his axe down from. It only took him a few seconds to spot Pride above him.

"Heh, a skilled player would have tried to use that cover to their advantage and try to get the jump on their opponent." Pride smirked confidently. "You're just a novice, aren't you?"

To the female Sylph's surprise, Apollo showed her a confident grin of his own. "Why don't you come down here and find out? Or does your name represent in your pride for running away and spouting out a bunch of hot air?"

Pride glared angrily at her opponent. "You little… Fine then! I'll show you what happens when you insult me!" She let out a battle cry as she flew down at him. "Die you worthless piece of trash!"

Apollo watched as Pride closed the distance between them, waiting for the right moment. Just as she was mere feet away, he dodged to the side with surprising quickness. Pride's eyes widened in shock at the sudden increase of speed compared to before.

"Take this!" Apollo yelled out as he swung his axe at her. Pride quickly ducked under the slash before thrusting her rapier at his head, but Apollo managed to dodge in time once again. The two quickly became trapped in a battle of attacking and dodging, with neither one getting a clean hit in.

' _What's going on?!'_ Pride asked herself. ' _His speed only increased a little bit, but it's enough for him to keep up with my pace. That shouldn't be possible for a bulky player like him! Unless…'_

Pride delivered another thrust before leaping back, taking a close look at Apollo's cursor. Next to it was an icon indicating a speed buff. "When did you apply a buff to yourself?! That wasn't there earlier."

"Remember before when you said a skilled player would have used the dust cloud I created earlier to get the jump on their opponent?" Apollo asked with a smirk. "Well a clever player like me would use it to hide their actions and surprise the opponent in a different way."

Pride's eyes widened, realizing what Apollo meant by his words. "You used the dust cloud to secretly cast a buff spell on yourself while I couldn't see it!"

"You guessed it. Anyone could use a smokescreen for a surprise attack to give someone less time to react. But I like to be a little less predictable than that."

"Clever as always, brother." Apollo and Pride both turned their heads to see Miku get back on her feet, the paralysis finally wearing off. "Now let's finish her off."

"Tch, so my spell finally wore off huh?" Pride said with an annoyed expression. "Fine then. I'll just take both of you worms down at the same time then."

Miku glared at Pride. "Who do you think you are, talking down to us like we're garbage?"

"I'm simply calling you what you are." Pride said. "I doubt peasants like you would understand."

"Then explain it to us, miss high and mighty." Miku retorted.

Pride let out a sigh and shook her head. "You gamers just go around playing VRMMOs like this for fun. You go on your cute little adventures and act without a care in the world. But I'm not like the rest of you. I have a greater purpose for being here, as a proud daughter of the Tatsuro family."

"Tatsuro? Aren't they a really wealthy family in Japan?" Apollo asked. "I remember reading about a gaming company owned by them."

"That's correct. A recent investment of ours." Pride nodded. "And like in every industry my family has gone into, we strive to be the best. By entering this game and becoming the strongest, I will stand on top here. With such a high standing, I can get special access to the company. In addition, by discovering the weak points of ALO, our company can create better VRMMOs that surpass this one."

"But if you do all that, ALO's popularity could sink down the drain! Don't you care about that?!" Miku asked.

Pride laughed at the female Imp's words. "You're joking, right? Why would I care if this place goes to shit? It just means more players for the game the company my family runs. Besides, it's just a game."

Miku glared at Pride. "It's more than a game to us! It's the same for many other players here too! This world is a whole other reality for us! A place we can go to and have fun! Unlike you, not everything is all about money to us!"

"Spoken just like a worthless peasant." Pride said with a shake of her head. "Someone like you, without any family responsibilities and honor to uphold would never understand."

"That doesn't give you the right to look down on people! You can't judge a person by how much money they have!"

Pride rolled her eyes. "You really don't get it, do you? Money and social status have a huge impact on a person's standing in the world. Those with it get to make the rules for society and control the world. I don't have time to be playing silly games for fun. Compared to the real world, the things that happen in here mean next to nothing."

Miku's body shook with rage. "So… you're saying everyone's lives here are meaningless? That nothing in the virtual world has any real value?" She glared at Pride with tears in her eyes. "Heroes have emerged from this game! People that others look up to and aspire to be like! People like my parents! People like the legendary Yuuki! How dare you-" Miku was cut off as Pride slowly broke out into laughter. "What's so funny?"

Pride clutched her sides as if Miku had just told a hilarious joke. "People like the legendary Yuuki? Don't tell me you aspire to be like someone as worthless as her?"

The look of rage in Miku's eyes intensified. "What did you say?"

"People go on and on about some of the best players of VRMMOs in the past. The Hero who cleared SAO Kirito, the Crimson Flash Ren, the Arctic Swordsman Ion. What does it matter? Sure they got famous, but now all they are is just people of the past. And Yuuki, the Absolute Sword Zekken? All she ended up being is some dead girl in the end."

"Shut up…" Miku growled, her grip on her sword tightening.

"Don't get the wrong idea. She was good with a sword. One of the strongest the VR world has ever known. But look at what that got her in the end. She was just some hospitalized girl who played games cause she had nothing else to do in life. If she was smart, she would have spent her time trying to find some kind of cure for her disease. But nope. She just decided to live like a little kid and die. If that isn't pathetic, then what is?"

"SHUT UP! SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Miku suddenly yelled, catching Pride and even Apollo off guard with her sudden outburst. "I won't let you say another bad word about Yuuki!"

"Oh? And what is she to you?" Pride asked.

"She's a hero. The kind of person I aspire to be." Miku said. "She constantly fought against the odds, knowing that death was always around the corner for her. But she still always had a smile on her face." A tear rolled down her face. "She didn't deserve to die the way she did. But she was strong. So incredibly strong." Miku stared Pride directly in the eyes. "And I won't let you get away with disrespecting her."

"Is that so?" Pride questioned. She taunted Miku, gesturing her to come at her. "Then show me what a fangirl of a worthless dead girl can do."

Miku charged at Pride as she let out a furious war cry. Pride took her stance and got ready to meet the Imp's attack. Miku swung her sword at Pride, but the Sylph quickly back-stepped away. Pride wasn't going to get any breathing room though, as Miku quickly kept up the pressure, delivering attack after attack with her sword. Pride was finding it difficult to dodge and block all of them, but she was getting a feel for Miku's rhythm. Just as she was about to counter attack though, the speed of Miku's attacks suddenly increased. Pride now found herself backed into a corner as she was forced to put her all into avoiding getting hit. She saw Apollo behind Miku, knowing he must have been the cause for Miku's sudden burst in speed.

' _Damn that Leprechaun and his buffs.'_ Pride thought to herself as she ducked under a thrust from Miku's blade. "It must be so sad playing the sidekick to a girl throwing a temper tantrum." she said.

Apollo smirked as he brought his axe back out. "Well if you wanted some personal time with me, you should have just asked." the Leprechaun brought out his wings and flew towards her. "Miku, jump!"

Miku attacked with a swing of her blade. As Pride dodged it, Miku backflipped into the air. Pride's eyes widened as a spinning axe flew towards her direction in the path of where Miku had just been standing. She quickly brought her rapier up to defend herself, but it was nowhere near enough to block the full hit. She avoided having the blade of the axe cut her in half, but the force of the blow knocked her onto her back. As she laid on the ground, Miku dived down at her with a thrust from her blade. Pride quickly rolled out of the way as Miku's Rossario's Legacy stabbed into the ground where she had been mere seconds ago. As Miku pulled her sword out of the earth, Pride got back on her feet and sped in, delivering a flurry of thrusts with her rapier. Miku's health quickly depleted from the barrage of stabs.

Meanwhile, Apollo had just picked up his axe from where it had landed. He saw his sister trading blows with Pride in a swift back and forth fight. He knew if he went in now, he could very well hit his sister in the confusion. That left him with one option. He put his axe away and got ready to chant a spell.

"Hang on Miku! I'll buff you in just a sec!"

Pride and Miku both clashed their blades against each other, locked in a test of strength. Pride saw Apollo begin to chant a spell and knew she had to do something. She managed to break the stalemate she and Miku were in and both girls rolled in opposite directions. As they stood back up, Pride saw Apollo directly behind Miku. She had to put a stop to this now. Getting into the stance for a sword skill, Pride's rapier lit up with a bright yellow light. "Let's see if you're fast enough to dodge this, slowpoke!"

Miku watched as Pride unleashed her skill and sped forward with her rapier. The female Imp quickly leaped to the side. "Ha! So much for that speed you-"

"You fell for it!" Pride grinned as she kept going with her thrust, headed right for Apollo. The male Leprechaun widened his eyes in shock as Pride closed the distance between them in an instant. He wasn't able to dodge in time and felt the stinging cold metal of Pride's rapier as it pierced through his head. Even though he was a tank, a direct stab to the head was more than enough to take out what remained of his health and bring it down to zero.

"APOLLO!" Miku exclaimed as she watched her brother burn away into a remain light. She looked over at Pride standing next to the flickering flame that had been her brother. The Sylph let out a condescending laugh.

"My, my, it seems you're both complete idiots." Pride said. "I can't believe that fool let his guard down so easily."

Miku gritted her teeth as she listened to Pride laugh at her. "That does it!" She charged at Pride and swung her sword down at her. "First you mock Yuuki, and now you mock my little brother?! I'll kill you!"

Pride traded blow after blow with Miku. Their swords made small cuts at each other here and there, as both of their HP gauges gradually went down bit by bit. Unfortunately, Pride's was lower than Miku's since she had been fighting Apollo before Miku had joined the fray. As the fight continued, Pride was seeing her chances of winning growing slimmer and slimmer. As she stepped back from a slash from Miku, the female Imp revealed her slash to be a feint and went in for a series of attacks at her opponent. Pride was losing her balance, not having a chance to regain her stance as Miku closed in on her with Rossario's Legacy becoming veiled in the light of a skill. In a desperate attempt to survive, Pride brought her free arm up to defend herself as she retreated. Miku's sword skill made a small cut in Pride's avatar, but only managed to sever the arm Pride had used to defend herself.

With Miku's skill finished, Pride quickly fell back towards the woods. "You got lucky this time, peasant. But next time we fight, I'll be sure to put you into the dirt where you belong."

"Hold it!" Miku yelled as she attempted to give chase. Just as she was about to go after Pride, the Sylph cast a spell that blasted her with a gust of wind. Miku tumbled along the ground and when she got back up, Pride was gone without a trace.

"Damnit." Miku growled, angry over the fact that she had let Pride get away. Sure she had won this fight in a sense, but stabbing the pompous Sylph through the heart would have been far more satisfying.

' _Just you wait Pride. Next time we meet, you won't get off so easy.'_ Miku thought to herself. She looked back over towards Apollo's remain light. Even if she knew revival magic, or had an item to rez a player, revival wasn't allowed in the battle royale. ' _I'm going to have to apologise to you too, brother.'_

With nothing else left for her in the area, Miku spread her wings and took off in search for other players to fight.

* * *

Cheers and roars echoed all around the arena as the matches raged on in their amazing glory. Spectacles and challenges alike were being shown and surpassed left and right, giving the audience much reason for rejoicing. Even those who couldn't make it into the main crowd stands inside the stadium were off cheering their favorites to win and making bets as to who would win or lose. Outside the area were crowds mixed with members of all the races united in cheering the teams on to victory.

Yet maneuvering through these crowds was a challenge a certain group of girls were currently facing right now.

"Ah geez, at this rate we might miss his big fights!" One girl, the shortest of them complained. "I wanted to see him and his friends kick some butt."

A pat on the head from a taller girl distracted the smaller one from her dismay. "Don't worry, this round is supposed to last for a long while. We'll have time cheer him on."

"Will cousin even make it through though?" A girl with pink hair asked with a raised brow. "You know how distracted he gets when a pretty face gives him attention."

"That is the burden we must live with after showing him the ways of wooing women." One said with a sigh. "He wears his heart on his sleeve as is too eager to get a girlfriend. Not that we'd ever approve of anyone he would date."

"Yup, no one is good enough for our cousin!" Another cheery voice agreed.

An irritated groan came from another one of the girls as she kicked one of the players blocking their way. "Now if only these jack wagons could MOVE THEIR ASSES ALONG!"

Arguments and fights broke out because of this moment of angered weakness but the girls treated it as naught but a small hiccup to their end goal. By the end of today, they would be in that stadium cheering on their cousin and his friends. And damned be all who would get in their way,

* * *

The wastelands of the island were barren of all life as Naoki walked through them. He had come here, hoping to find some players with it being so open. But to the male Salamander's dismay, he had yet to find any players in the area.

"Geez, where is everybody?" Naoki asked himself. "I know there's not a lot of teams left anymore, but there's gotta be someone near here."

Naoki continued his search, seeming to find to reward for his efforts. Just as he was about to quit though, he caught sight of a player in a cloak in the distance. ' _Finally. And it looks like they haven't noticed me. I'll get the drop on them and take them out quick.'_

Making sure to keep quiet, Naoki slowly made his way towards the player. Once he was close enough, he brought out his wings and with a violent flap of them sped at the cloaked player with his sword brought out. "Surprise, sucker!"

The player turned around at hearing Naoki's shout, gasping as they brought their arms up to defend them as their cloak came off. "No! Please don't hurt me!"

Naoki stopped his blade as he saw the identity of the player. It was a female Cait Sith with long blonde hair and cat ears of the same color. Her blue eyes showed a look of innocence as she looked at Naoki in fear.

"Y-You're… You're not going to kill me, are you?" the girl asked.

Naoki stayed frozen in place as he looked at the girl. It was bad enough that she looked like she was cowering in fear, but she was also cute to boot on top of that. ' _Damnit, why do I always have to fight the cute ones?'_ He sighed as he lowered his sword. "Look, I have a thing against killing helpless girls, so maybe we can make a deal."

"A deal?" the girl asked. She gasped as she covered her chest area. "You're not thinking about…"

A deep red blush came to Naoki's cheeks as he shook his head. "N-No! Of course not! I would never!"

The girl's eyes looked down towards the ground. "Well… maybe I'd consider it… If you teamed up with me for the rest of the round. I'm scared of running into some really strong players like you."

Naoki's blush became even redder as he looked at the girl. "W-Well, I uh… um… Are you sure you'd be okay with that?"

The girl nodded. "Are you going to help me?"

Several thoughts flooded Naoki's head. There were plenty of advantages to teaming up with the girl in his mind. He'd have someone watching his back. If the rest of her team was this weak, they'd have a chance at getting an easy win team for the top sixteen. Plus, perhaps she'd remember this favor after the tournament. "Sure, why not."

A bright smile came to the girl's face. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" She lunged at Naoki and hugged him tightly. "I promise you, I won't forget this!"

Naoki could feel his body go stiff as the girl hugged him while a smile came to his face. "O-Oh… It's nothing really."

As she hugged him, the girl's smile slowly turned vicious. She slowly reached for the knife at her waist. "Yes… I won't forget… What a complete moron you've been!"

Naoki's eyes widened as he realized the sudden peril he was in. The female player would have plunged her knife right into the Salamander's back had he not quickly reacted and broke out of the girl's hug due to his superior strength stat. He jumped back as the girl slashed at him. "Why does this always happen to me?!"

"You're fault for being a fool!" she said as she went in for another attack.

Naoki inwardly groaned as he dodged the slash and swung his sword, severing the girl in half. The player cried out in pain as she burned away into a remain light. The male Salamander let out a sigh. ' _Why do the cute ones always have to be the deceitful ones.'_

The male Salamander had his train of thought interrupted as he suddenly heard the sound of clapping. He turned to his side and saw a male Leprechaun with smooth black hair and brown eyes. "Sucks, doesn't it? Having a cute face like her turn her back on you after you showed her mercy? Women can be so cruel sometimes."

Naoki rolled his eyes at the new arrival and his sarcastic statement. "Look, I don't know who you are but I don't need you rubbing it in."

"Oh my apologies, allow me to introduce myself." The Leprechaun gave a bow to him. "My name is Greed, a member of Team Demise."

"Team Demise? Then you're with that Lucifer guy. … Ah crap."

"So you realize the situation you're in. Then that saves me the trouble of having to intimidate you. Just as well though." A sly smile came onto his face as his gaze became transfixed on Naoki. "I do hate to pressure someone like me after all, Naoki."

"Hang on, you know me?"

"Eh, a little." Greed admitted. "That's mostly due to your team leader though. We did a little research on all of the members for the top contending teams. But let's see how much you know about me." Without wasting a second, Greed quickly chanted out a spell, and when he finished, his hands had a noticeable glow to them. The black haired foe then came rushed towards the Salamander with wings spread. The teen reacted quickly was a cross slash to back him up. Greed smirked and flew above the slash and grazed his fingers across Naoki's sword and bounced off of his head, landing smoothly like a cat.

"My, such a powerful looking sword you have there Salamander." Greed said, flexing his fingers in front of him in a perplexing manner to the opposite teen. "Such strength it must take to wield a powerful weapon like that."

"What's it to you?"

"Well what it is to me is a way for me to show off this fancy spell of mine." Greed held out his hand where a collection of lines began to stretch along together, crafting a weapon out of thin air. Naoki's eyes widened in shock as a faint, glowing replica of his own sword was now in the Leprechaun's hands. "Like it? An exact copy of your own blade. Might I say this comes with quite the weight, but nothing I can't handle."

"H-How did you do that!?" Naoki was beyond confused. Unique spells that went beyond the norm were really nothing new. Lilly's Element Pistol was one such example. But to copy another player's entire weapon was unlike anything he's even seen before.

Greed chuckled, swinging the sword around in his hands. "Oh, don't worry about it. I think the better thing to be doing now is defending yourself!"

Naoki grunted once his opponent jumped in and slammed his fake blade on top of his. The weight behind the strike served as proof that this weapon copying thing was legit. Greed clearly had some sort of experience using heavy weapons as he matched the Salamander on his swings with the sword in his hands. He twisted to the side as Greed brought down his sword for a mighty slam down and kicked the Leprechaun in his side to push him away.

Greed's smile never left his face from the attack and rolled up again on the offensive. Naoki felt his legs get pushed back through the dirt of the wasteland form blocking all the strikes coming his way. ' _This guy is insane! I'm being backed up by his strength.'_

'What's wrong friend? All you're doing is blocking!" Greed taunted in between his strikes. "Come on, let me see how the original user of this fine sword fights!"

"Ngh!" The red haired teen grit his teeth, feeling the edge of the fake blade cut into his side. "Fine! You want me, then let's get going! No way am I losing to some copycat!"

This made Greed all the happier with Naoki's wish. To get an actual challenge would be actually exciting after dealing with all the boring pests around from before. He spun around and swung the sword at a circular arc, ready to get his opponent in the mood to fight back. Naoki brought his own sword up and held the flat part of it forward to block the attack. Greed's eyes widened once sparks began to fly from the sword grinding against the fake one as the teen charged with a loud roar.

The Leprechaun was blindsided by running headbutt from Naoki which sent him careening back into the dirt. It was clear that fighting on the ground at this point was a no go since Leprechauns were more conditioned for fighting grounded. Spreading his wings, the Salamander took to the sky as Greed recovered on the ground. He was quicker than Naoki had anticipated, being able to shrug off a headbutt like that and come to chase after him in such a hurry.

"Hoo, I must admit you certainly have creatives tricks, don't you?" He gave a rub to his aching forehead. "That surprise attack caught me off guard for sure."

For the first time in this fight a smile came to Naoki's lips. "What can I say? I'm my father's son."

"Don't know what that's supposed to mean, but I don't care much for whose son you are. I care about who you are. You and me have so much in common, a kindred spirit almost."

"And just what do we have in common?"

Greed's smile took a turn for the more lecherous. "Isn't it obvious? Our abundant care for the opposite sex. The love we have for the beauty of the female body."

"Oh… Oh." This… was certainly unexpected to say the least. "You like girls too?"

"Oh yes I very much do. Their cute faces, soft skin, the feel of their bodies on mine." Greed had to keep himself from letting a bit of drool going down his lips. "I enjoy women very much."

"Bodies on yours? The heck are you talking about?"

"Come now Naoki, certainly you must see the value a woman's body has, no? Women must know of it considering none of them hesitate to throw themselves at me. Gifting me with such treasures every day is just a pleasure I love to indulge myself in wholeheartedly." Greed raised an eyebrow to his opponent. "And tell me Naoki, how many women have you enjoyed or do you constantly find yourself with the bad luck of such horrid, two faced bitches?"

Naoki's interest turned into complete disgust almost immediately at Greed's little speech. "You're disgusting. Women aren't toys to be used and discarded!"

Greed laughed hilariously, as if Naoki had told some hysterical joke. "You're kidding right!? You, Naoki of Black Firestorm, who is seen as the biggest pervert in the group are giving me a 'respecting women' line? You hit on anything that wears a skirt or gives a little sashay of their hips. The only difference between you and me is that women willingly come to my bed at the dozens while you strike out at every turn. Especially with those cold bitches on your team who seem to love abusing and stomping your heart into the dirt."

The Leprechaun hardly had time to bring up his sword in defense once Naoki charged in with a mountainous force and a pissed off expression. "You shut your filthy mouth, you bastard! I am nothing like you! And don't you dare assume anything about those girls!"

"Oh what's wrong Naoki? Did I hit a nerve or something?" He slipped under the pressure of the opposing sword and ducked under a swing meant to behead him. "You seem to be awfully keen on defending those girls. Is this what you call 'Battered Wife Syndrome'?"

It was growing harder to block and dodge the Salamander's frenzied assault as he kept on going in some berserker rage. Perhaps calling his best friend cold bitches wasn't the best way to get inside his head but in the end the results were the same. But battling in the sky was something that Greed could not do since the disadvantages far outweighed any benefits.

Naoki growled at his opponent's smug grin as he flew away to the ground. "Oh no you don't!" Chanting some of the few magical words he knew, the teen put his hand forward and let loose a stream of fire right at Greed's back. The black haired teen spun around to dodge the flames and dived into the ground, landing with an elegant slide to avoid yet another burst of fire. The smile never leaving his face, the Leprechaun brought up his right arm against the third burst of flames as it collided against a shining light.

The airborne Salamander looked around the area as a black smoke came from the impact of his flames against Greed. His eyes widened as the copy of his sword broke through the smoke and clipped his right wing. Naoki let out a curse as he couldn't keep in the air anymore and fell to the ground. As the Salamander got up from the painful fall, the smoke gave way in a mocking show with Greed standing in the middle of it. He clapped his hands at his opponent while he was getting up.

"Bravo Naoki, I must say you really are one tough foe. We truly are cut from the same cloth, aren't we."

"You shut up already! I told you I'm nothing like you and I never will be!"

"And just how are we different from another, hmm? We both love women, will do anything to have one close to us, and both just love their beautiful forms. It's just that you have the unfortunate luck of having to deal with all the untrustworthy ones." Greed walked up to the fallen Naoki and offered his hand. "Just accept it, we are one in the same person."

The red haired teen not only slapped the hand away from his face but spat in his face to add insult to the injury. "Go screw yourself, you disgusting pervert."

Greed wiped the spit off of his face and let out a sigh. "You really love denying your true nature, don't you? Oh well, the end result of this fight will be the same either way."

Naoki swung his fist at the Leprechaun as he got back up, but Greed easily dodged by jumping back and putting some distance between them.

Just as Naoki was about to charge and continue the fight, a bell echoed throughout the air. He stopped in his tracks, wondering what it was. Soon after, a voice was heard.

"As of this moment, there are only sixteen teams left in the battle royale. The third round is now over. All players are to cease their fights immediately."

Naoki muttered a curse under his breath, while Greed let out a chuckle. "Well that certainly didn't end how I was expecting, but I suppose it doesn't matter." Both players began to be enveloped in light, getting ready to be teleported away. "We'll just have to continue this later in the tournament. Assuming you make it far enough that is."

With that said, both Greed and Naoki vanished from the field in a blinding bright light. The remaining players from the sixteen teams left in the tournament were all whisked away from the island they had been fighting on.

* * *

When Yui could see again, the sound of cheering gradually filled her ears. She looked around and found that she was back in the main arena, with spectators all throughout the stands. Her teammates spawned next to her within seconds. Players from other teams began to be teleported into the center of the arena as well.

The announcer Haruka called out to the crowd. "Well folks, I think we can all agree that this was an exciting battle royale. But all good things must come to an end. Let me present to you our top 16 teams!"

The team of Black Firestorm looked around them. There were several teams standing around, which they could only assume made up the top 16. Additionally, the monitor showed a list of the names for the teams that had made the cut.

Rin took notice of the name Team Moonshadow on the monitor. She quickly spotted Shade among the players in the arena. ' _It's almost time for our rematch, Shade.'_

Another team that had made it was Miku and Team Mighty Five. The female Imp waved over to Yui and the others with a smile on her face.

One team that nobody was surprised to see among the sixteen teams was Team Demise. The group of five stood confidently together, as if their victory in the third round was little more than a cakewalk for them. Lucifer waved to the cheering fans of his team among the crowd. "Oh thank you. You're too kind."

Lilly leaned in and whispered into Yui's ear. "Is it just my imagination, or does something about Lucifer seem… off to you?"

"No, I sense it too." Yui said with a small nod of her head. "It's faint, but it feels like he's faking it all. Wearing a mask to appease the crowd."

"Well those Demise guys are though, I can tell you that much." Strea said. "It took Kagero and me together to beat one of their members."

"Seriously?! You fought one of them?!" Lilly gasped.

"Me too." Naoki said. "The Leprechaun guy. Greed's his name."

"And? What happened?" Rin asked curiously.

Naoki looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"So I take it you lost."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Naoki snapped, startling the rest of his team. The male Salamander widened his eyes, realizing his tone just now, "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell." In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think of what Greed said to him. ' _I'm nothing like him. There's no way.'_

Haruka continued with her speech. "From this point on, we'll be entering the main rounds of the tournament. I ask that you all bear with me while I explain the rules, as they will be the same for all the matches for the remainder of the tournament." the fairy announcer explained. "In each round from here on out, teams will select three members to fight for them. One at a time, the fights will go on. Once a player's HP hits zero, they will have lost. However, unlike the first two rounds, the victor will not stay in the ring and will instead swap with the next player. It'll be three separate fights with the victors decided by winning two out of the three fights."

"So it's gonna be a straight up bracket style tournament from here on out." Lilly said to herself.

"That makes things simple." Strea grinned. "We've got this, no problem."

Yui got her team huddled together. "We've made it this far guys. Now let's keep the momentum going and win this thing!"

"Yeah!"

"The main rounds will begin in two days." Haruka explained. "So for all you players competing, make sure you're prepared for some of your toughest fights yet."

As the ceremonies for the day ended, the teams dispersed. Yui and the others walked through the halls of the stadium when they ran into their parents.

"You guys were awesome!" Luna said as she jumped up and down excitedly. "I made sure to cheer super, super hard for everyone."

"I'll bet you did, Luna." Rin said with a smile as she patted her younger sister's head.

Ion and Angel looked around the group. "Aren't Miku, Apollo, and the others with you?"

Yui shook her head. "We went our separate ways after we left. I think they took a different route out of the stadium."

"Mom? Dad?" Ion and Angel both turned around and saw Miku and Apollo staring at them. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to watch you kids of course." Angel said as she and her husband walked over to their two kids. "We saw all your fights today."

"All of them?" Miku asked. "Even…"

Ion nodded his head. "Yes, including the one with Pride from Team Demise."

Miku lowered her head. "Oh…"

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Angel asked.

Miku looked away from her parents. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown a tantrum like that. I am supposed to be the oldest between me and Apollo after all. You're probably disappointed at me."

Angel scowled at her daughter before forcing her to look at her and Ion. "Mika Cersey, you listen here. Your father and I would never be disappointed in you for how you acted. You stood up for the person you idolize, someone who truly was a hero to so many people. If anything, I'd be mad that you didn't sever another limb from her."

"R-Really?" Miku stuttered. "You're not mad?"

"Of course not sweetie." Ion said with a shake of his head. "You're someone who stands up for what she believes in, and always defends her friends. The only thing we feel for you is pride."

Miku smiled as a tear of joy rolled down her face. Apollo took notice of this and grinned. "What's this? You crying Miku? Aren't you supposed to be the mature eldest one out of the two of us?"

"Shut up." Miku said with a giggle as she playfully elbowed her brother.

Helios laughed proudly as he walked up and patted his son on the shoulder. "Nice job Naoki! You fought like any Gekido should have, hard and fast! I'm proud of ya kiddo."

Dagger was equally elated, pulling in her son in close and planted a kiss on his head. "Those other kids didn't stand a chance! You were amazing out there. Though you could do a bit better about trusting 'helpless' girls Naoki."

"Oh come on, those girls are convincing actors! Plus it's not like they even got me." Naoki defended.

"True enough, but be sure to get that Leprechaun next time." The retired Unrelenting Psychopath pulled his son in close and puffed his chest. "Remember, you're a Gekido, and Gekidos don't take shit from any shitty Leprechauns."

Asuna couldn't help but look towards the Salamander and frowned at him. "You know I can tell Liz about what you are saying about her right?"

Helios rolled his eyes and raised one hand to the Undine. "Then do me a favor and send her this regard." He raised his middle finger and waved it around in a vulgar show before turning back to his son. "Anyways kiddo, be sure to kick even more ass and do me proud. You're skilled enough to knock out anyone who gets in your way and don't forget that."

Naoki smiled at his father's seemingly endless well of praise and nodded. He knew that later down the line, he would rematch Greed in the next round. ' _Next time for sure I'll show that Greed that I'm nothing like him.'_ In the back of his mind he couldn't help but think otherwise. ' _I'm not like him… right?'_

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the fights this chapter with Naoki, as well as Marcus Cersey's characters Miku and Apollo. For any of you interested in the adventures of Miku and Apollo's parents, Ion and Angel, I would advise reading Arctic Swordsman: Sentinel of the Sky. It is very much worth the read, I can assure you.**


	24. Training for the Finals

**A/N: Summer may be here, but writing's keeping me as busy as ever. Like me, I'm sure all of you are looking forward to the upcoming release of SAO vs Accel World. I can't wait for how much fun it's going to be.**

The warm summer light shined in the kitchen as Rin and Lilly ate lunch together. The two of them were eating the tunafish sandwiches their mother had prepared for them. As they ate, Lilly scrolled through her tablet. A list of the top 16 teams in the ALO Annual Tournament finals were listed. As the brightest mind of the group, she was usually the one to do research and info-gathering. It was her specialty.

"So how's it going Lilly?" Rin asked as she took a bite of her sandwich. "You find out anything new?"

"Not much." Lilly admitted. "As far as things go, the most noticeable teams after the battle royale are us, Team Mighty Five, Team Moonshadow, and Team Demise." Lilly took a look at each of the teams. "Mighty Five doesn't require much research, we already know their abilities first hand. Team Moonshadow did surprisingly well in the battle royale, considering they only had three members. Shade got killed by Yui, but his two teammates Kaguya and Kamui stayed alive until the end. Both of their fighting styles were also shown during the round."

"And?"

"Kamui's fighting style is pretty straightforward. He uses his speed to his advantage, hacking away at his opponent's bit by bit until it's time to go in for the killing blow. Taking your eye off him for even a second could prove fatal. Kaguya on the other hand seems pretty interesting." She brought up a video of the third round, showing Kaguya trap a player with wire and then finish him off with a bow. "She's a tricky fighter, one that immobilizes the players she fights. Once they're trapped, she takes them out with her bow. They can't dodge or defend with all the wire restricting their movements."

"But how's that gonna work in the rounds now?" Rin asked. "It's just a simple open arena. She can't lodge her throwing knives into anything there. What's she gonna do?"

"I don't know. And to be honest, that's what scares me the most." Lilly said. "There's no telling what trick she'll have up her sleeve. We'll have to be careful if we face her."

"So that just leaves Shade, huh?"

Lilly nodded her head. "Based on his fight with Yui, I think it's safe to say he's improved a lot since you last fought him. Especially with this one move." Lilly played the video of Yui and Shade's fight, showing his Shadow Illusion Slash technique he used on Yui. "I played the video in slow motion. Both times he used it, the movement of his sword was different. It's gonna be next to impossible to tell where it's coming from, making dodging or blocking difficult. The only reason Yui was able to do it was because of her two swords."

Rin looked at the video closely. She still remembered her fight with Shade vividly. As she was right now, she wasn't entirely sure she could win against him.

"There's one more thing that's troubling me." Lilly said, bringing up another team on the list. "Team Demise."

"They got the highest number of kills last round, right?"

"Yep, and that's not even the worst part." Lilly explained. "The third round allowed us to see each of their skillsets, so we know how they fight. The problem is that only one of them was taken out, and it took Strea and Kagero both to do it. Every single one of them is incredibly strong."

"What about that Lucifer guy? The one that won the first and second rounds all by himself." Rin asked. "How do they stack up to him?"

Lilly's expression grimaced. "He's on a whole other level. He massacred practically every player he fought. His health never even fell down into the yellow once during the entire round."

"Hmm, that's gonna be a tough opponent to beat." Rin said. "I guess we'll just have to leave that to Yui when the time comes."

Lilly stopped fiddling with her tablet and went back to eating. "In any case, Team Demise is going to be our toughest competition it seems."

"Well there's only one thing to do then." Rin said with a grin. "Training."

"Anything you have in mind specifically?" Lilly asked. "I doubt some last minute grinding will do much."

"Hmmm…" Rin thought to herself. "There aren't many hand to hand combat players in ALO for me to practice with. What to do?" Suddenly an idea popped into the girl's head. She turned to her mother. "Hey mom, are you gonna be busy today?"

"I was going to work a bit on my novel, but if there's something you need I'd be glad to help." Alicia said.

"Thanks." Rin said with a smile. "If you don't mind then… can we spar? Like how we used to when you taught me martial arts when I was a kid?"

* * *

It had been a long time since Alice had sparred with Rin. The female Imp recalled back when she and Rin had done it all the time when Rin had asked her mother to teach her martial arts. She couldn't help but see so much of herself as a kid from the way Rin eagerly picked everything up in their lessons. But it had always been simply for teaching Rin self-defense. Not once had the mother and daughter ever sparred in the virtual world.

Rin took a deep breath as she stood outside of her parents house in Lunet, with her mother standing across from her. "Alright mom, I'm ready."

Alice stretched out her arms, seeing the concentration in her daughter's eyes. Her scythe was unequipped, leaving the fight to be a true martial arts sparring match. "Get ready Rin. Time to show me how much you've improved over the years."

By the door of the house, Lilly and Luna stood together. Luna cheered excitedly, her voice ringing in the air. "Go Mama! You can win!" The youngest daughter quickly realized how left out Rin might feel if she only cheered for Alice. "Do your best Rin!"

Alice let out a giggle, while Rin gave a small sigh at the fact of how clear it was who Luna's favorite was. Both mother and daughter took their fighting stances as they stared each other down.

"Rin said she and Mama have fought before, right?" Luna asked Lilly.

Lilly nodded her head. "I wouldn't say 'fought', but yeah. Rin wanted to learn martial arts back when she was eight or so. Mom decided to teach her and the two of them would spar a lot. I guess that's what led Rin to use gauntlets as her weapon choice in ALO." The Cait Sith looked at her mother and sister with morbid curiosity. "I've never seen mom fight in ALO before though. I wonder what she's like."

"Come at me whenever you're ready, Rin." Alice said.

At first, silence overtook the area as Rin stood still in her stance. Then in an instant, she took off running towards her mother. The female Salamander sent a punch directly at her mother's face, but Alice easily deflected the punch with a knock from her hand. Rin followed up with a round kick, but Alice was able to block it with her arm, absorbing most of the blow.

The fight continued as Rin sent punch after punch and kick after kick at her mother. Despite the seemingly endless wave of attacks, Alice managed to dodge and block them for the most part. Even still, Alice could see that her lessons with Rin hadn't been for nothing. ' _She's going for my most vital areas. And more importantly, she's not breaking her stance at all.'_

Rin went in low and went for a sweep kick at Alice's legs, but the female Imp nimbly dodged it as she leaped over her daughter, landing behind her. Before Rin could turn around, she felt Alice grab her from behind and force her into an armlock.

"I can see you've been honing your martial arts. I'm glad." Alice told her daughter. "But you still have a lot to learn."

' _Damnit!'_ Rin thought as she tried to struggle free. No matter how hard she tried though, her mother had a firm hold on her. One arm was tied behind her back, while the other was bound at her side from Alice holding a firm lock around her waist. ' _No way. I'm not losing this quickly.'_ Rin put all the strength she could into her legs as she attempted a backflip jump. The force of it weakened Alice's hold for a brief moment, which Rin used to break free. Once she was out of her mother's hold, Rin's right leg lit up in a red light as she delivered a vicious spin kick that knocked Alice into the ground.

Alice felt her body slam into the ground, shaving away some of her HP. She wasn't going to let her daughter think she had the upper hand though. With a swift motion, Alice swept her legs under near where Rin was landing. Rin wasn't having any of that however, and planted her feet firmly as she landed. Alice's leg was blocked by Rin's firm stance.

Alice smirked at her daughter. "I see you still remember the most important rule I taught you."

"Never let your stance get broken." Rin grinned, remembering her mother's words from when she was younger. "If you do, you're in for a world of hurt."

"You did well, stopping me like that." Alice said. "But what about this!" Out of nowhere, Alice bent her legs back, balancing herself on the ground with one hand. She sprung both legs forward, hitting Rin under her jaw and sending her flying up in the air. Alice leaped up and used her wings to get above her daughter. Spinning her body vertically to gain extra force, the female Imp delivered a vicious axe kick to Rin's head, sending her crashing into the ground.

Rin groaned as she picked herself up off the ground while Alice landed closeby. "Geez mom, you're even stronger than I remember. You weren't exaggerating during any of those stories when you used your martial arts skills in VR."

"Well I fight a bit differently when I'm in the virtual world compared to the real world." Alice pointed out. "But then again, that's only natural. People's physical abilities are much stronger in the virtual world."

"Mama's super strong!" Luna cheered.

Lilly could see between her sister and mother that Alice had the clear advantage in the fight. Her stats were slightly higher, but the factor that made the most difference was her technique. It was much more refined than Rin's, probably due to her years of practice. ' _Rin probably sees how this will turn out too. The question is will she admit it.'_

"Do you want to keep going Rin?" Alice asked. "It's all up to you."

Rin stayed silent for a few moments before nodding her head. "I can't give up this easily. I want to keep going until the end."

"I see." Alice said, a small smile coming to her face. "You know, you remind me so much of myself when I was your age." The female Imp took a new stance, one that Rin didn't recognize. "So I'm gonna end this with a martial arts skill even you haven't seen before."

Rin eyed her mother curiously. She knew practically every martial arts type sword skill in the game. What could her mother have up her sleeve that even she wouldn't expect. Her eyes widened when she realized the answer. ' _Don't tell me… An OSS?!'_

"Here I come!" Alice yelled as she sprang forward. Both her hand and feet became veiled in a violet light. She delivered a powerful punch into Rin's stomach, making the air rush out of the young girl's lungs. She then delivered a second punch before following up with an uppercut that sent Rin flying high into the air. Before the female Salamander even knew what was happening, Alice was already above her. A deadly kick sent Rin crashing into the ground. As she shook the dizziness out of her head, Alice was already diving down at her.

"Inferno Dragon's Barrage!"

Alice's final punch landed with a huge amount of force. Had it not been for the immortal object status of the entire landscape around them, there was little doubt that there would be a crater where Rin was laying right now.

As Rin felt her body ache in pain, she saw her mother standing over her with her arm held out. She grabbed her mother's hand and got back to her feet.

"That move was incredible, mom!" Rin exclaimed as her eyes gleamed in awe. "How'd you invent that?!"

Alice let out a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. "I didn't invent it actually. An old friend of mine passed the skill down to me years ago. He was somewhat of a mentor for me."

"Really?! He must have been really skilled! Do you know if I can meet him?!" Rin asked.

Alice shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. He… well, he passed away several years ago. Back before you were even born."

Rin frowned as she lowered her gaze. "Oh… I'm sorry mom."

Alice shook her head. "There's no need dear. I've long since moved on." She smiled as she patted Rin on the head. "I just thought you should know where this skill came from before you use it."

Rin stared at her mother blankly before slowly widening her eyes in surprise. "You mean…"

"Yep." Alice nodded. She opened her menu, shuffling through it until she got to her skill list. She tapped on her OSS and turned it into a scroll. She held it out towards Rin. "Here Rin. I think it would be best to leave it with you."

It took Rin a few moments to get over the initial surprise of what was happening. She quickly opened her menu and went to her skill list, opening the window for Alice to transfer the skill. Alice inserted the scroll into the window, and the Inferno Dragon's Barrage skill was added to Rin's skill list.

"Yahoo!" rin said as she jumped into the air. "I can't wait to use this in the next round of the tournament! It's gonna be awesome!"

Suddenly a new voice spoke up. "Well, someone sounds excited." Both Alice, and her three daughters all turned towards to the door of the house, where Ren was standing.

"Papa!" Luna said happily as she ran up to her father and jumped into his arms.

Ren smiled as he picked up Luna and held her in his arms. "I came home from work, and found everyone diving. Is something going on?"

"Rin wanted to train for the tournament, so she asked mom to spar with her." Lilly explained.

"And Mama won!" Luna added.

"Luna!" Rin complained.

Ren let out a chuckle as he looked at Lilly. "What about you? Are you going to train at all?"

Lilly let out a sigh and shook her head. "No, I probably won't be fighting for the rest of the tournament. With only sixteen teams left, we'll need to use our best fighters if we want to win. Sad to say, I'm probably the weakest link."

Ren narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Huh?"

Ren put a hand on Lilly's head and looked at her with a caring expression. "Are you satisfied with sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the tournament after making it this far? Don't you want to push yourself further?"

Lilly's Cait Sith ears drooped slightly. "Well… it's just that everyone worked so hard for us to make it this far. And from here on out, it'll all be one on one fights with some of the toughest players out there. I'm primarily a mage, so I won't be able to keep up with them. If I fight, I'll just end up weighing us down."

Ren showed his daughter a soft smile. "But even still you want to fight, don't you?"

"... I do." Lilly finally nodded. "But I can't-"

"I don't want to hear that negative attitude." Ren said. He looked Lilly directly in the eyes. "Lilly, you're a very caring person. One that puts her friends before herself. But you're also one of the sharpest people among your friends. Don't give up simply because you're a mage. Use that big brain of yours to find a way to turn your disadvantage into an advantage."

"How?"

Ren showed the Cait Sith a grin as he put Luna down. "Tell you what? How about I help you improve on your fighting skills?"

Lilly blinked in surprise at her father. "You mean me fight against you?!"

"Not really fight, I'd say." Ren told her. "More like I'll move around and you try to land a hit on me."

Lilly tilted her head. "Dad, I don't see how that's going to help. I know you're an AGI build, but I can land a hit on you easily if you don't fight back."

Ren smirked while Alice let out a giggle. "Sweetie, I think you'll have a harder time hitting your father than you think." her mother said.

Soon Ren and Lilly were standing across from each other while Alice, Rin, and Lilly all stood next to the house to watch. Rin and Lilly had never really seen their father in action in the virtual world, other than when they fought to help Luna wake up. They only really had stories to go on.

"Come at me however you want Lilly." Ren said.

Lilly drew her sword and took a stance. She knew her magic spell Element Pistol would have a hard time hitting against a speedy player, but if she maneuvered herself correctly, she would be able to land a slash with her short sword on him.

"Here I come!" Lilly yelled as she sped forward. Ren made no moves to dodge as she closed in on him. She didn't know what he had planned, but she would be able to chase after him easily whichever direction he decided to run. She just had to keep her eyes on him.

Sadly, Lilly had no idea just how hard that would be.

In the blink of an eye, Ren vanished with a blur from Lilly's field of vision, her slash connecting only with the air. Lilly gasped as she looked around. ' _No way?! Where'd he go?!'_

A sudden touch to the top of her head startled the Cait Sith and made her slash her sword behind her in surprise. Ren jumped back just in time to avoid the slash.

"Seems I'm a bit rusty." Ren said. "Guess it has been awhile since I've gone full speed."

Lilly stood still, unable to believe what had just happened. ' _That was him when he was rusty? I've never seen anyone move that fast!'_

Rin was equally shocked at her father's speed as she looked on with widened eyes. "Wh-what was that just now?! It's like he teleported."

Alice let out a giggle. "You're father wasn't the fastest swordsman in all of Aincrad for nothing. No one was able to match his speed, although Miku and Apollo's father Ion gave him one hell of a run for his money."

Ren looked at his shocked daughter with a grin. "Why don't you try your magic next? I think we both know you have no chance at hitting me with your sword. Not with our difference in speed."

Lilly knew her father was right about not being able to hit him with her sword. But how was she supposed to hit him with long range spells when he could move around so quickly? But Ren had something in mind as far as she could tell. She just wasn't sure what."

' _How can he have so much faith in me to be able to stand up against the best in the nation?'_ Lilly asked herself. A sudden chirp caused her to look at her familiar Nikko flying at her side. The tiny fire dragon showed its master a look of confidence. "Nikko… you believe in me too?"

Ren showed a grin towards Lilly. "Come on Lilly. Show me what you can do."

Lilly analyzed everything she knew about her abilities and her father's. She had no spells that could lower his speed that would hit him. Charging up spells one after another wouldn't work either in an actual fight. That left her with one option. ' _Element Pistol. My go to spell. But how will that-'_ Lilly's eyes widened in realization at what she had to do. ' _Of course! That's it!'_

Lilly quickly recited the incantation for her Element Pistol spell. Once she finished, she aimed her attack directly at her father. "Get ready dad. I'm going to hit you for sure."

"Is that so?" Ren questioned. "Then show me what you can do."

Right away, Lilly snapped her fingers and fired a blast of fire from her spell. Ren easily dodged the incoming blast as he sped to the side. Lilly wasn't willing to give her father any breathing room though as she aimed a blast in the direction he feld towards, cutting him off. As Ren was about to go in the other direction, a third blast came and stopped him in his tracks. Several blasts of fire came, cutting off his escape midair as well. He was now trapped in with nothing but a straight line separating him and Lilly.

The Cait Sith smirked as she snapped her fingers consecutively, firing every last ounce of ammo she had left at her father. "Try and dodge this one!"

Every direction Ren could flee still had fire blocking his path. The male Imp had no other choice but to block as much damage as he could by bringing his arms up to defend himself. The blast made a direct hit and knocked him down onto his back.

As the flames dies down, it took Lilly a moment to realize what had just happened. Her expression slowly turned into a big grin as she leaped into the air. "Wohoo!"

"Amazing." Rin gasped. "She actually landed a hit on dad."

"Nice job, Lilly." Ren said as he got back to his feet. "Seems you finally found a way to hit your trickier enemies."

Lilly shot a knowing grin at her father. "You planned this from the beginning, didn't you? You already had that attack in mind, but didn't tell me."

"Guilty as charged." Ren said as he patted Lilly on the head. "I knew you'd come up with it on your own. So? Think you're ready to fight now?"

A smile came to Lilly's face as she nodded her head. "Yeah. I still need to perfect this new technique a bit, but I'm going to make sure I can stand on the same stage as the rest of the team."

"That's my girl." Ren smiled. "Now what do you say we go back home and eat dinner. I'm starving."

Lilly let out a giggle. "I think you should be asking mom that instead of me."

Ren looked over to Alice, who giggled at the look her husband was giving her. "Alright. I can't say no when you make that face in front of me."

The couple walked back into the house, while Rin and Lilly followed close behind. Both sisters looked at each other and showed eager grins. For the first time, they had been able to experience what made their parents so amazing in the virtual world first-hand. And with this experience, they felt like they were now just a little closer to reaching their level. With this, they could take on the best players the tournament had to offer.

* * *

"It seems everything is going as planned."

Lucifer sat in a dark room with the rest of his team. Each of them were gathered and fully prepared for the upcoming final rounds of the tournament. There was an aura of confidence among them, but there was also something else mixed into it. A dark and sinister feeling.

"What were you able to find out?" Lucifer asked. "Anyone of interest we should keep our eye on?"

"Not even close." Pride said with a dismissal wave. "I don't know about the rest of these cronies, but there was no one worth my time among the players in the third round."

"Says the girl who got her butt kicked." Lust snickered.

Pride shot a glare at the silver haired Pooka. "And just how many players did you kill in the tournament? I'm pretty sure I got at least double the amount of kills you did."

"You seem to be forgetting something. I'm not a combat specialist." Lust pointed out. "I don't go stroking my ego every five seconds only to fall flat on my face when it's important."

Greed let out a chuckle. "She's got you there, princess."

"Shut it you disgusting pig!"

"Enough!" Lucifer ordered, silencing the entire group. The male Imp looked sternly at his teammates. "This is no time for arguing. Need I remind you that it is imperative that we win this tournament."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you boss." Greed said. "We need to make sure we stand at the top of ALO. The pinnacle of strength."

Lucifer nodded his head. "Some of us have different reasons for our final goal, but the fact remains that each of our interests align. We will win this tournament by any means necessary. Do I make myself clear?" The response he got was a nod from each of his teammates. "Good. Then make sure you don't lose. Dismissed."

Upon their leader's order, the group disbanded for the night, disappearing from the room. Lucifer looked out the window, seeing the night sky of ALO. ' _Soon. The image I have for this world will become a reality. And no one will stop me from making that happen.'_

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed seeing Ren and Alice back in action for a little bit. There's going to be plenty of good fights for the rest of the tournament, so look forward to some exciting moments.**


	25. A Battle of Rivals

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I've been really busy this week so I had little time to write this chapter. Hope you all enjoy it, cause it's a match I'm sure some of you have been looking forward to.**

Cheers rang around the stadium as players watched the thrilling fight go on. Metal clashed against metal as the weapons of the two players slammed against each other. Everyone's eyes were on the two players fighting in the ring.

As usual, Haruka was giving the play by play of the action. "This is incredible folks! I can't tell who's going to win this fight! It's back and forth!"

Naoki held his large two-handed sword up to defend himself as his opponent swung thier axe down at him. ' _Damn. This guy's good.'_

"It's been a nonstop thrill fest for the match between Team Blazing Firestorm and Team Wild Fang!" Haruka said. "Both teams have shown to be top-level fighters ever since the final rounds of the top sixteen started. Now we're down to the top eight and these two are giving it their all."

From the side of the ring, the rest of Naoki's team stood and watched the male Salamander fight with everything he had. Rin had managed to win their first fight in the round, and now it was Naoki's turn. With all the matches for the remainder of the tournament being best two out of three, Blazing Firestorm would win if Naoki was victorious here. If he lost, it would be up to Yui to win the third match.

Also on the side of the ring were Tetsuya and Sayaka, as well as Luna. The team had been able to get their two friends to be down by the action with them, even though Tetsuya and Sayaka weren't on the team roster. Like Luna, they were being treated as support for the team.

"Go Naoki!" Luna cheered, waving her pom poms excitedly. "Beat him up!"

With a loud roar, Noaki pushed his opponent back with all of his strength. He swung his large blade with all the force he could muster, forcing his opponent back to the other side of the ring.

"Heh, how do you like that?" Naoki grinned. "Hate to break it to you, but there's no way I'm losing this. My team's counting on me."

"Likewise." his opponent said. "But we both can't have what we want. One of us has to lose." He readied his axe and stood firm. "So show me what you've got!"

A smirk came to Naoki's face. "My pleasure. I'll be sure to-"

"WOOO! GO NAOKI!"

The sudden deafening cheer caused both Naoki and his opponent to go silent. Rin and the others looked amongst them, wondering who had been responsible for the sudden outburst. It hadn't come from any of them though. Instead, the voice sounded like it had come from the stands.

"Who said that?" Tetsuya wondered.

"Umm…" Lilly stared over at one part of the crowd, pointing towards it. "I think I figured it out."

The rest of the team looked over to where Lilly was pointing, shocked by what they saw. Standing out in the crowd were ten female players, all of whom seemed to be in their teens and looked surprisingly identical, Salamanders with red hair tied up in a ponytail. Each of them were dressed up in differently colored cheerleader outfits, similar to what Luna was wearing. Their voices rang loudly as they waved pom poms in the air.

"Naoki, Naoki, he's our man! If he can't do it, nobody can!" the ten girls cheered in unison.

Yui blinked in surprise at what she was looking at. "Is it just me, or does Naoki have a group of fangirls suddenly?"

Luna smiled innocently, not feeling the same awkwardness her sisters and friends were at the moment. "How great. Naoki must be super happy to have their support."

In the ring however, Naoki felt a cold sweat go down the back of his neck. ' _Please no… Don't let it be them…'_

"Woo! Go Naoki! Go! Go! Na! O! Ki!"

Rin was having trouble figuring out who the ten mystery girls were as she stared at them blankly. Lilly leaned in near her sister and whispered in her ear. "Sis, do you know these girls at all?"

"Hell if I know. They just came out of nowhere. I'm just trying to figure out why they're cheering for our residential pervert specifically."

Luna looked up at her sisters. "Rin, I just took a look at Naoki's data. He seems to be having a large increase in body heat, plus his cheeks are getting really red."

True enough, the team looked at Naoki, with shaky hands gripping his sword. It was hard to place the emotion going on in his face with his eyes shut tight. He was just thankful that everyone was being distracted by the attractive girls cheering for him, or he'd be getting beaten to a pulp by his opponent right now.

The male Salamander turned to the group of girls and yelled at them. "Will you all just let me concentrate on the fight?!"

The girls stopped their cheering to giggle at his outburst. "Oh look at how flustered he is. Isn't he adorable?" one of the girls said. Wearing a pink cheer outfit.

"Stop it Yachiru!"

"Oh now he's getting huffy! Too cute!" another one, this girl wearing white, said.

"Isane, not you too!"

The giggling from them continued leaving many questions in the air with no answers to be had while Naoki's face grew redder by the second. Everyone in the audience seemed very confused as Rin and the others were looking at each other in confusion. While everyone scratched their heads to try and figure out what was going on, Sayaka walked over and looked up at the girls.

"U-Umm… Excuse me, but who a-are you all?" Sayaka cursed herself for stuttering the way she did. A collection of girls cheering for Naoki had her a bit flustered for some reason.

All together, the girls looked down at Sayaka with smiles on their faces. The girl wearing red waved at the Undine. "Hey there, name's Anri. We're all cute little Naoki's cousins." The girls behind Anri nodded their heads in agreement.

Yui and the others were floored by the new information. As they all struggled to find the words to say, Strea being the girl she was had no problems voicing her opinions to the sudden revelation. "Wait just a second there you bunch of dancing queens. You're ALL related to Naoki?"

"Yep. Yoakes, every one of us!" the one named Yachiru nodded. "We just love to shower little Naoki with all the praise we can. Seeing his smile or watching him squirm is just too adorable! He's the cute baby boy of the family after all~!"

"YACHIRU!"

Strea could only roll her eyes at what was going on. Naoki was finally getting what he wanted, a cheer squad of girls, but was too embarrassed because they were his cousins. "Great, so now the pervert gets another of his dreams fulfilled. A whole team of sexy girls cheering his name."

Almost instantaneously, the girls all glared directly at Strea, scowling at her with looks that seemed ready to commit murder. "What did you just call our cute little Naoki?" Isane said with a dangerous edge in her voice.

Yui and the others couldn't believe the level of animosity coming from the girls at having Naoki being called what he was most known for. Even more shocking was seeing Strea hide behind Sayaka while cowering in fear.

"Wh-Why'd you say that Sayaka?" Strea stammered behind her friend.

"H-Huh?!" Sayaka exclaimed, terrified of the glares coming from all the girls. The Undine shook in fear. "I-It wasn't me, I swear!"

"Sayaka, do me a solid here! I will seriously owe you one!" Strea begged in a loud whisper.

"Umm…" Haruka interrupted. "If you all don't mind, could we get back to the fight that's going on in the ring?"

"Thank you!" Naoki yelled out from the ring.

Moving past the awkward moment, everyone's attention turned back to the fight between Naoki and his opponent.

Naoki roared as he swung his blade at his opponent. His sword clashed with his opponent's axe, the two heavy weapons tied in a stalemate. Finally, Naoki found the opening he was looking for as he parried an attack from the player and went in for the finishing kill. With a mighty swing of his large sword, Naoki slashed his opponent in two, taking out what was left of his HP and ending the match.

"And the winner is Naoki from Team Blazing Firestorm!" Haruka declared. "Team Firestorm has won the match!"

Cheers erupted throughout the crowd of players watching. Even with how loud they were though, the cheers coming from Naoki's ten cousins seemed to practically overshadow them.

"I knew he could do it!"

"Isn't he the greatest?!"

"He's not just strong, he's also so adorable!"

Naoki tried to hide his embarrassment as he walked off the ring and back to his team. He ignored the snickers coming from the girls on his team, wanting to get this day over with.

Haruka stepped onto the ring and addressed the crowd. "With that last match, the top four teams have been decided. Please turn your attention to the monitor." Up on the large screen, the top four teams had their names displayed for all to see.

Team Mighty Five

Team Demise

Team Moonshadow

Team Blazing Firestorm

"Without further adieu, let us randomize the teams and see who will be fighting who in the semifinals!" Haruka said. On the monitor, the four names were shuffled together. After a few seconds, the pairings were decided and shown. "Well there you have it folks! In the first match, we'll have Team Blazing Firestorm against Team Mighty Five. Afterwards it'll be Team Moonshadow versus Team Demise."

The second the pairings were shown, Yui caught sight of Miku and her team in the audience. The two girls showed each other confident and excited grins. Both teams were ready to win, and neither one was willing to back down. There was only one thing both of them knew. This was going to be a match to remember.

"So we're up against Miku and the others." Lilly said, thinking to herself. "This is gonna be a tough one."

"Well we knew it was gonna be tough regardless of who we fought." Yui pointed out. "We'll just have to do our best like we always do and win."

"This is gonna be awesome!" Strea said excitedly. She looked over at her sister. "So who's gonna be in the lineup, sis?"

"We don't have to technically finalize it before the match." Yui explained. "We're allowed to decide who fights as each fight happens. It's not like the first and second rounds."

"Well we had better prepare for tomorrow." Rin said. "We can't hold anything back, or Miku's team is gonna pulverize us."

The group nodded in agreement and headed out of the arena. They had all made it this far, and there was no way they were planning to let it end here.

* * *

"So we're finally up against Yui and the others." Kagero said next to her friends. "This should be interesting."

"We knew this would happen eventually." Apollo said. "We'll all have to be at the top of our game tomorrow."

Neko showed a confident smirk. "We've got this. There's no way we're losing now. Right Miku?"

Miku nodded her head, a serious expression on her face. "Yeah."

Miku stared down at Yui, the two girls locking eyes. Miku had seen the videos of the battle royale after they had ended. She saw the skill Yui had used in her fight against Shade. The very same skill that Yuuki was so famous for. The eleven-hit combo, Mother's Rosario.

Ever since she had started playing Alfheim Online, Miku had always done her best to live up to the legend of Yuuki, even having a similar outfit. Her blade Rosario's Legacy was also a tribute to the legendary swordswoman, being almost an exact replica. But the one thing she would never have that Yuuki did, that was currently in Yui's possession, was the Mother's Rosario skill. She wasn't greedy though, she knew that the skill had been passed down from Yuuki to Asuna and then to Yui, and she had no intention of changing that. But she still couldn't help but feel that this was her chance. Her chance to take on the closest thing to Yuuki right now in this world.

' _I swear I'll win. I'm going to rise to the same heights as Yuuki. No, I'll go even further.'_ Miku thought to herself. ' _Tomorrow's fight. That's the true clash I've been wanting all this time.'_

* * *

 _-The next day-_

"Alright players, are you ready for some action?!" Haruka announced in an eager voice. The cheers of the audience was all the answer she needed. "Alright then! Let's get right to it with the first match of the semifinals! Team Blazing Firestorm versus Team Mighty Five!"

As the audience roared with excitement, both teams walked out into the arena. The cheers and shouts of the crowd were deafening, but they paid no mind to them. All of their focus was on each other.

"Looks like we finally get to see which team is better." Rin said with a grin.

Miku showed an eager grin of her own. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"It's a shame we couldn't have met in the finals. That would have been the perfect scene for this." Yui said. "But I guess the semifinals will just have to do."

Haruka addressed the crowd once again. "Alright folks, remember the rules. Fights between two players will happen one at a time, with a total of three fights in total. Whichever team gets two victories first will be the winner. Once a player has gone, they cannot fight again for the rest of the match, whether they win or lose. A barrier will be put up around the ring to prevent ring-outs. The fight will end when a player's HP reaches zero, or they concede defeat." She smiled at the audience in her usual upbeat manner. "Now then, with all those boring explanations out of the way, let's get this party started. Will both teams please select-"

Before Haruka could even finish, a player from Team Mighty Five sprang forward, flying straight into the ring and standing confidently as she stared at the other team. "Get up here Strea. You and me. Let's settle things from the battle royale."

All of Team Black Firestorm turned to Strea, who was currently sweating nervously. She looked at each of her teammates before giving a very unconvincing cough. "*Cough* *Cough* Oh my, it looks like I'm not feeling well today. Would somebody mind taking my place in the ring?"

Yui narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Really Strea? Really?"

"Oh fine!" Strea whined as she walked forward. "But if my pretty face gets messed up because of this, I'm blaming you Yui."

Strea flapped her wings and went into the ring. She landed and stood across from Kagero. She knew just how strong a swordswoman the female Salamander was, especially when she had something to prove. Strea on the other hand, was always just as serious in her fighting, but her personality never showed it. She preferred to enjoy the battle rather than get all worked up.

"The first fight! Kagero versus Strea!" Haruka announced. "Begin!"

Kagero wasted no time in starting things off as she sped at Strea with her sword gripped tightly in her hands. Strea quickly ducked under the slash that came her way before performing a low slash at Kagero's legs. Kagero wasn't having any of that however and leaped over Strea, delivering a cut to the female Gnome's shoulder in the process. Strea quickly jumped away to gain some distance as Kagero chased after her.

"I'm not letting you get away! There's nowhere for you to run this time!" Kagero yelled as she closed the distance between her and her opponent quickly.

Strea knew she wouldn't be able to outspeed Kagero. Her bulky build made her a lot slower than Kagero, who had lightweight equipment on, not to mention the two-handed sword Strea wielded was far heavier between the two girl's weapons. That meant she'd have to keep it as a close quarters fight, which wasn't much better considering Kagero's skill and technique with her sword.

Kagero closed in and swung her sword down at Strea. "Take this!"

Strea quickly brought her sword up to defend herself, parrying the slash. She then took the opportunity to activate a sword skill, swinging her heavy blade down with all the power she could muster. Kagero was blown back from the slash, as well as the shockwave that followed, knocking her into the barrier. A large chunk of the girl's health was depleted as she got back to her feet.

"I won't… lose… here…" Kagero grunted. "I'm going… to surpass her… I'm going to make everyone see me for who I am instead of staying in her shadow."

Strea blinked in confusion. "Her? Who do you mean?"

"It's none of your business!" Kagero snapped, cursing herself for muttering those words earlier out loud. "You should be more worried about yourself."

The fight quickly continued as Kagero sped back at Strea, the two girls being stuck in a close range fight between their blades. Kagero slashed, Strea dodged and counter-attacked, Kagero blocked the attack and went back in again, the process continued on and on.

Unbeknownst to Kagero however, there was a player in the stands watching her closely. A Sylph with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, almost exactly the same a hers, wearing a long green and white combat dress.

" _I'm going to make everyone see me for who I am instead of staying in her shadow."_ The words echoed in Leafa's mind as she looked at her daughter with a forlorn expression. ' _Erika…'_

Leafa remembered back to when her daughter, Erika Kirigaya, was little. She always cheered her mother on in the competitions she was in. That support had been what kept her going many times. And when Erika had wanted to pick up the art of kendo as well? Nothing had made her happier as a mother.

But at some point, she noticed Erika slowly growing distant from her. The sparring sessions that had been so common between them had changed to Erika training alone or against other kids at her school. Leafa hadn't known what had caused her to suddenly turn like this, but now she realized what it was.

' _How could I not have seen it before?'_ Leafa asked herself. ' _Erika… The cause of your suffering was me, wasn't it?'_

Back in the ring, Erika and Strea continued their fight with both girls slamming their blades against each other in a deadlock. Kagero knew Strea had the advantage in strength and slid herself down bellow Strea, delivering an upwards kick to the Gnome's stomach. Kagero's sword lit up with a bright red light as she performed the Horizontal Square sword skill. Four consecutive slashes cut through Strea's avatar, making her HP plummet into the low yellow zone. After the skill ended, Kagero felt her body lock up, the after effect of using a sword skill. Strea attempted to take the opportunity to slash at Kagero, but the female Salamander regained the ability to move at the last second and managed to get away before the blade could connect.

' _Darn it she's a fast one.'_ Strea thought to herself.

Kagero took a moment to catch her breath after the close call she had just had. "You're strong Strea, that's for sure."

"So are you, but I guess we both already knew that about each other." Strea replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

Kagero narrowed her eyes at Strea. "You sure seem pretty carefree. Don't you ever take your fights seriously? This is the semifinals of the ALO Annual Tournament after all. You'll need to give it everything you've got if you want to win."

"Huh? Of course I'm giving this my all." Strea said. "I just don't like getting all serious and all. It's no fun if you can't smile and enjoy yourself in the fight. Don't you want to have fun too?"

Kagero blinked in surprise. "Of course I do. The rush of battle, the feeling of giving a fight everything you've got. But you need to stay focussed if you want to win."

"You don't have to look all stern and serious though." Strea said as her face scrunched up to look like a stern soldier. "Oh look at me. I'm super strong Kagero. You will all bow to my strength."

"Wh-What?!" Kagero exclaimed with a blush on her face. "I so do not look like that, and I definitely don't talk like that."

Strea let out a giggle as she pointed at Kagero. "See, that's the face I wanted to see. This may be a tournament fight, but we have to enjoy it or what's the point."

Kagero looked at Strea blankly before slowly chuckling and breaking out into laughter. "You're one of a kind Strea."

"You know it." the Gnome girl replied.

Kagero retook her stance. "Alright then. Let's both give this everything we've got." she said with a grin.

"Bring it on." Strea grinned back.

Both girls kicked off the ground and sped at each other. Strea swung her sword with a horizontal slash, but Kagero leaped over it, springing her hand off of the large blade for even more force. As she landed behind Strea, Kagero turned around and widened her eyes in shock as Strea's blade was already being swung down at her. With no time to dodge, Kagero held her blade up to defend herself. The weight of Strea's sword pressed down on Kagero as she struggled to hold it at bay.

"Give it up. I'm winning this."

"In your dreams."

Kagero could feel herself slowly losing the battle of strength. She knew she had to do something. Thinking quickly, she tilted her sword, letting Strea's blade slide along it before it hit the floor of the ring. With Strea's balance thrown off, Kagero shoved her elbow into Strea's gut. Strea backed away while feeling the pain of the blow as Kagero went in for the finishing strike with a thrust of her blade. Strea wasn't willing to lose either though as she endured the pain and thrusted her blade forward as well.

Both girls were impaled with each other's weapons simultaneously. The audience watched in shock as both of their health bars fell towards zero. But with the larger sword of Strea dealing more damage, Kagero's was the first to reach its limit. A satisfied smile was on the female Salamander's face as she burned away into a remain light.

Strea fell back and collapsed onto the ground, catching her breath with her HP just barely above zero. Haruka stepped into the ring. "And the winner is Strea! Team Black Firestorm kicks things off with one win!"

Cheers erupted throughout the audience as players cheered for the winner. Kagero was automatically revived by the system as she stood in the ring. She walked over to her cousin and helped her to her feet. "Good fight Strea. Looks like I lost."

Strea accepted Kagero's hand and got back up. "Yep. Woo boy, that was a close one."

"Don't think it's over yet though. My team's gonna win this in the end." Kagero smirked.

"That's what you think." Strea replied with a confident smirk of her own. Both girls walked off the ring for the next fight to begin.

Haruka looked back and forth at both teams. "Will both teams please select their next players?"

Yui and the rest of her team looked at each other. "Who should we send in next?" Rin asked.

"I'd rather it not be me, for once." Naoki said with a sigh, seeing his cousins in the crowd.

"Let's go Naoki!"

"We want our cute little Naoki!"

Yui could sympathise with Naoki's wish, hearing the embarrassing cheers coming from his cousins. "Alright then. That leaves Rin, me, and Lilly."

"Let me go." Lilly offered.

Yui blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Lilly nodded. "We should save you for the last fight if it comes to it. And Miku will probably sit out until the last fight as well. That leaves Jinketsu, Apollo, and Nekko. I can take them."

Yui glanced towards Rin, who responded with a nod of agreement. "She's got this. I say let her go."

"Alright then." Yui said. "If you think you can do this, then I trust you, Lilly. Kick some butt for us."

"You got it." Lilly said with a grin as she jumped up into the ring. On the other side, she saw Nekko jump up onto the ring.

Nekko blinked her eyes in surprise when she saw Lilly was her opponent. "Lilly? You're fighting? I hope you guys aren't taking us lightly."

"Nope." Lilly said with a shake of her head. "You'll see just how serious I am about winning this once we start."

A smirk came to Neko's lips. She could tell from the look in Lilly's eyes that she had something planned "Interesting. Show me what tricks you've got planned to defeat me."

Both Caith Sith girls readied themselves and took their stances. Niko held onto Lilly's shoulder, ready to help it's master win this fight.

Haruka saw both players ready to fight. "The second fight! Lilly versus Neko! Begin!"

The second the fight started, Neko ran towards Lilly with her high speed. Forcing Lilly into a sword fight where she couldn't rely on her magic would be the best move for her. She held both her daggers and closed in.

"Nikko, Flare Stream!" Lilly commanded.

Flying off its master's shoulder, the small fire dragon breathed out a fire blast towards Neko. The opposing Cait Sith dodged the blast by leaping to the side. As she caught sight of Lilly again, her eyes widened as she sped at her with her short sword. Neko blocked the incoming slash with her two daggers, but was forced back slightly.

"Now Nikko! Scarlet Scatter!"

Neko gasped as Lilly's familiar blasted another fire attack, this one being a series of small burning hot pellets that covered a wide range. Neko jumped back, avoiding being rained down by the attack but couldn't escape them all as a few of the pellets hit her, taking out a small portion of her health.

As Neko distanced herself, she saw Lilly speak out the incantation for her signature spell, Elemental Pistol. She muttered a small curse under her breath for allowing Lilly access to her main source of fighting power.

"I hope you're ready." Lilly smirked. "Cause I'm gonna roast you alive."

"Heh, think you can hit me that easily?" Neko grinned. "Don't underestimate my speed."

Lilly stood firm, ready to unleash the combo she had worked so hard on. ' _You can do this. Remember your training with dad.'_

Neko quickly ran towards Lilly, moving zig zag to try and confuse her. Lilly was ready for her though. "Nikko, Fire Booster!" The tiny red dragon breathed on Lilly, covering her in scarlet colored sparkles of dust. A buff was applied to her, increase the damage of her fire attacks. Lilly then snapped her finger towards Neko's right side and unleashed a powerful blast of fire, cutting her off from that direction.

"Missed me!" Neko smirked. She gasped however when Lilly let loose another blast of fire, cutting her off from the left as well. As the raven haired Cait Sith was about to leap over Lilly, a third blast flew over her, trapping her in the long cylinder of fire.

Lilly lined up her opponent and snapped her fingers. "Gotcha."

The powerful blast of fire made a direct hit to Neko, who cried out in pain as she was blasted to the end of the ring, her back hitting against the barrier. However, she still stayed standing as he feet hit the ground. Looking up at her HUD, she saw that she had lost nearly forty percent of her health from the blast. She couldn't afford to let a blast like that hit her again.

' _Six blasts left.'_ Lilly thought to herself, keeping her remaining ammo fresh in her memory. ' _I've gotta end this before I run out or I won't have an opportunity to refresh the spell. If that happens, I'm finished.'_ she also took a look at her fire buff that she had gotten from Nikko. ' _Fire Booster lasts for ninety seconds. I've only got about sixty seconds left before the buff ends.'_

"Go Lilly!" Luna cheered from the side of the ring. "You can do it!"

"She's really improved." Tetsuya noted. "That combo attack she used was really impressive."

"She's been practicing that after each round, ever since the top sixteen started." Rin explained. "And it looks like it really paid off."

The fight continued as Neko sped at Lilly, keeping her body low to the ground. Lilly fired a blast at Neko, who leaped to the side to avoid it. Lilly attempted to unleash her combo once again as she fired a second blast to trap Neko from both sides. However, Neko saw this coming and leaped up, bringing out her wings to get into the air before Lilly could trap her on the ground.

"Not this time!" Neko smirked. "I'm not dumb enough to fall for the same trick twice."

Lilly called out to her familiar. "Nikko, Scarlet Scatter!" At its master's command, Nikko unleashed its wide range fire pellet attack. Neko found herself flying through the air, desperate to avoid getting hit. As she flew around, Lilly aimed carefully to take the airborne Cait Sith out.

With a snap of her fingers, Lilly unleashed a blast of fire at Neko. Unable to get away, Neko was hit by the side of the blast, taking out even more of her HP. As she fell towards the ground, Lilly fired another shot. Neko wasn't willing to lose any more health however and quickly maneuvered her body to avoid the blast. She regained her balance in the air and swooped down at Lilly. Once her feet hit the ground, she sped in, and ripped through Lilly's avatar in a flash. Cuts and scratches covered Lilly's avatar as Neko delivered slash after slash. Lilly finally managed to get her opponent away as she drew her blade and swung it around. Neko's assault had taken its toll though, with only about half of her HP left.

' _Two bullets left.'_ Lilly thought to herself. ' _I don't have enough to use my combo attack. But Neko wouldn't let that hit her even if I did have the ammo.'_ Looking across from her, she saw a confident grin on Neko's face. She was thinking the exact same thing. ' _Come on, think! I can't let it end like this.'_

"Time to end this!" Neko grinned as she sped in, ready to finish Lilly off.

Suddenly, an idea came to Lilly's mind. It's chances of success though were pretty low. She'd be taking a gamble. ' _It's risky, but I don't have any choice. Like they say, fortune favors the bold.'_

Neko closed in the distance and prepared to deliver another series of slashes at Lilly with her two daggers. Lilly kept her sword sheathed, meaning she was probably planning to fire a blast from her spell once she got in close. ' _I won't be hit that easily.'_

' _Wait for it…'_ Lilly told herself. Neko got in closer and closer, while Lilly made no move. Finally the distance between them was gone as Neko lunged in for a slash.

"You're finished!" Neko yelled as she delivered a slash to Lilly's avatar. She was surprised when Lilly didn't make a move, but she wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Regardless of what move Lilly made, whether she raised her arm to fire a blast from her spell or to draw her sword, Neko was confident she could get away the second she saw Lilly's arm move.

But Lilly didn't have to move her arm with what she was planning.

"Burn!" Lilly yelled as she snapped her fingers, her hand still pointed to the ground. Neko gasped as flames shot out from Lilly's hand, bouncing off the ring floor and engulfing both of them.

Both teams gasped as the two players became trapped in the pillar of fire. The entire audience was thrown aback at the surprising move.

Neko quickly leaped out from the pillar of fire, the flames still burning away her HP. ' _Damnit. Didn't see that coming.'_ Her eyes widened as something else came out from the fire. She had thought at first that it was Lilly, but she was shocked when she saw it was instead the girl's sword, the tip coming right for her head.

Acting on pure reflex, Neko activated a sword skill with her right hand dagger glowing with the light of a sword skill. The girl leaped up and performed three consecutive backflip slashes, the skill parrying Lilly's thrown sword and sending it flying. As her feet touched the ground, she saw Lilly emerge from the flames. The blonde haired Cait Sith aimed her last bullet directly at Neko. With the raven haired Cait Sith stuck in the stun delay from using a sword skill, she wouldn't be able to dodge. Unless she had a move to remove the delay that is.

As the light died down in her first dagger, Neko's other dagger began to glow. Lilly fired her last blast at her opponent, but Neko managed to duck under it and run at Lilly to end it with her last skill.

' _Her Skill Connect technique?!'_ Lilly realized.

Neko let out a cry as she delivered five consecutive thrusts to Lilly. Combined with the damage Lilly had done to herself with her fire attack, it was enough to bring her HP down to zero. She burned away into a remain light.

"And the winner is Neko!" Haruka announced. "Team Mighty Five ties it up with one win each!"

Neko breathed a sigh of relief that she had won, after coming so close to losing at the end. She looked over at Lilly's sword lying on the ground. ' _If I had reacted even a fraction of a second later, her blade would have hit me and I would have lost.'_

The system revived Lilly, returning her back to normal. As she stretched out her body, she let out a sigh. "Damn. So close too."

"Lilly." Neko said, walking over to her with the girl's sword in her hand. She handed it over back to its owner. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Lilly said with a smile as she took her sword and sheathed it. "You were amazing out there, Neko. Your Skill Connect technique is amazing."

"Maybe. I guess this is me we're talking about after all." Neko grinned. "But you were just as amazing out there. Who would have thought a mage could come that close to beating me. You're something else, you know that?"

The two girls smiled at each other as the audience cheered from the exciting match. Both Lilly and Neko walked off the ring and went back to their respective teams.

Lilly frowned slightly as she walked up to her team. "Sorry guys. I couldn't get us the second win."

"Sorry? Are you kidding? That was amazing!" Tetsuya said.

"Yeah! You were really cool out there." Sayaka added with a nod.

"You were super duper awesome in that fight Lilly!" Luna said with a cheer as she jumped up and down. "You're the best!"

Rin put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "How many mage players can say they could fight at this level against some of the best players in the game? You should be proud sis."

Lilly saw the rest of her team giving her nods of agreement. A smile came to her face. "Thanks you guys."

"Well, looks like it's my turn." Yui said as she walked forward. She looked over at her opponent from the other team staring her down as well. Miku.

Yui, the one that had inherited Yuuki's signature skill, Mother's Rosario.

Miku, the one that had inherited the will and sword of Yuuki, in the image of her Rosario's Legacy.

And neither one had any intention of losing this fight.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the fights this chapter. Feel free to tell me your thoughts with a review. As I'm sure you can all tell, next chapter will feature a fight to remember, so be sure to look out for it.**


	26. Those Who Inherited Her Heart

**A/N: It's finally time readers. Time for the fight you've all been waiting for. I apologize that this chapter is on the shorter side, but since it mostly features one fight, I didn't want it to drag out too long.**

Yui and Miku stared each other down in silence as they stood across from each other in the ring. Cheers and shouts came from all directions in the crowd, but neither of them paid any mind to them. The only thing their focus was on right now was each other.

"I've always wanted to take you on at full power like this." Miku said. "Looks like I finally get my chance."

"I've been looking forward to the chance to fight you as well." Yui told her. "You're one of the strongest players I know. And if you're anything like your parents, I know you're going to be a tough competitor."

Miku showed a smirk. "I have no intention of losing this. My team's counting on me to take them to the finals."

"As is mine." Yui nodded. "So let's make this fight one the best one anyone here has ever seen."

"Music to my ears."

Haruka stepped forward, seeing both girls ready. "These two teams have given us fights worthy of the ALO Annual Tournament so far, players. Now we'll finally see which of these two leaders has what it takes to bring their team to the finals."

Both girls readied their swords as they got into their stances. Haruka started the match. "The third fight! Yui vs Miku! Begin!"

Yui and Miku both wasted no time as they sped at each other the second the match began. Miku started off her attack with a barrage of thrusts from her sword, while Yui dodged them and attacked when she saw an opening. All eyes were on the two players swinging their swords around with intense focus. Neither one was able to get a clean hit in.

"Go Yui!" Luna cheered. "You can do it!"

"Come on Miku, you've got this!" Apollo called out from the side of the ring.

Almost simultaneously, both Miku's Rosario's Legacy and Yui's Mystletainn shined with the light of a sword skill. Both girls activated the Vorpal Strike skill, thrusting their blades forward. The two tips clashed perfectly on point, creating a huge explosion that blew both girls back. As the smoke cleared, Yui and Miku ran towards each other and continued their duel.

Yui kept her body low and tried to get a slash in at her opponent's legs, but Miku was having none of that as she leaped into the air and dodged it with a flap of her wings, going straight up into the air. She quickly dived back down with her blade pointed directly at Yui, but the female Spriggan managed to jump out of the way and dodge it. Miku went back into the air, but this time Yui gave chase, ascending with her own wings as well.

The battle quickly turned into a high speed series of clashes as Yui and Miku flew at each other over and over again, each time their blades skidding across each other with neither one getting a scratch in on the opponent.

After yet another clash with both swords skidding across each other, Miku twirled her body vertically and delivered a vicious kick to Yui before she could get away. As Yui plummeted towards the ground, Miku dived down and drove her sword into Yui, keeping the Spriggan from escaping. As they neared the ground, Miku yanked her sword out and pushed her legs off of Yui to keep herself from crashing into the ground with her.

Yui groaned as she picked herself up off the ground, her HP at about half from the powerful combo of attacks Miku had sent her way. "Not bad Miku…"

"You're doing pretty well yourself, Yui." Miku replied with a grin, clearly enjoying the match as much as her opponent. "This is the fight I've been waiting for ever since this tournament started."

"Same with me." Yui agreed. "I wanted to fight players that can push me to the next level, ones that make my heart race with excitement. And you definitely fit the bill, Miku."

"I'm flattered. But flattery won't win you this match."

"Then why don't we get back to the action?"

Just like that, the two girls were at it again. Miku swung her blade down at Yui with all the force she could muster, but Yui parried the attack by swinging both of her swords up together at the same time. As Miku was left wide open from the parry, Yui continued the motion of her arms, bringing them back and preparing to hit Miku hard. She thrusted the blade in her left hand, stabbing it into Miku's shoulder. At the same time, the blade in her right hand was swung upwards, delivering a clean slash to Miku and taking out a large chunk of her HP.

The attack she had just performed was the dual wielding skill Double Circular, just like her father had used in the past. Even though she didn't have access to using any of the dual wielding sword skills, she had memorized all of the movements necessary to perform many of the more basic ones.

Miku jumped back, seeing her HP fall to roughly forty percent from Yui's attack. ' _Damn she's good.'_

Yui wasn't willing let up and kept up the pressure as she ran towards Miku for another attack. Not willing to let Yui set the pace of the fight, Miku ran in to meet her attack. Yui swung her Mystletainn and Miku swung her Roasrio's Legacy, both swords colliding with a loud ring echoing throughout the air. As Yui took a swing with her second sword, Miku pulled a surprising move and skillfully moved herself around to Yui's back, dodging the incoming slash.

Yui's eyes widened as her blade connected with only the air. As she turned around, she caught sight of Miku's sword glowing in the corner of her eye. She desperately tried to jump away from the range of the female Imp's blade, but it was too late. Miku swung her sword down and severed Yui's left arm from the elbow, causing her sword to fall out of her grip. Miku grinned to herself, knowing that she had delivered a heavy blow to Yui's attack power.

As the sword fell towards the ground, Yui thought quickly and kicked her sword. As her boot collided with the hilt of the weapon, the blade spun wildly towards Miku, who was mere inches from it. Miku quickly stepped back, but the spinning blade still managed to cut into part of her waist. Both girls saw their HP fall into the red zone. It would be decided with the next few moves.

Yui took a stance and her remaining blade Mystletainn became veiled in a beautiful violet light. She was planning to end this here and now.

' _Here it comes.'_ Miku told herself. ' _The legendary eleven-hit sword skill that was passed down from Yuuki herself.'_

Five quick thrusts came from Yui's sword, but the female Spriggan widened her eyes in shock as Miku managed to tilt her body away, barely avoiding them. As she did, Miku took a pose, her sword becoming veiled in a blue light. The next five hits came from Yui, but Miku was ready for her. The first swing of the female Imp's sword skill blocked Yui's first thrust, and a second swing blocked the second.

' _Impossible!'_ Yui thought to herself. ' _She's reading and blocking Mother's Rosario?!'_

A third slash came, blocking yet another thrust from Yui's skill. There were only three hits left from the eleven hit combo.

' _Even still…'_ Yui steeled her resolve, the grip on her sword tightening. ' _I will not lose here!'_

As Yui went in for the next thrust from her sword, she put all of her will into making her arm move slightly, changing the trajectory of her sword. Miku gasped as her fourth slash didn't make contact with Yui's blade, instead cutting Yui's shoulder. As a result, Yui's thrust connected with her avatar, as did the next one. Both girls saw their HP fall near to their limits. As the glow in Miku's sword died however, the glow of Yui's blade stayed bright with one more hit left.

' _This is the best way for me to thank you, Miku.'_ Yui silently thought. ' _With the skill of the person we both idolize so much.'_

"Mother's Rosario!" Yui roared as she sped past Miku, her sword slashing through Miku and bringing the Imp's HP down to zero.

Miku fell towards the ground as her body became engulfed in violet flames. Her avatar was quickly replaced with a flickering remain light in the ring. Yui was on one knee, desperate to catch her breath and recover from the fight.

Haruka stepped forward. "The winner is Yui, which means Team Blazing Firestorm will be moving onto the finals!"

The crowd of players in the stands cheered louder than ever before with the winning team decided. The rest of Team Blazing Firestorm all ran up to their leader and congratulated her, happy that they were going to the finals.

"We did it!" Rin cheered.

"Final round, here we come!" Naoki grinned.

"You were amazing, Yui!" Lilly said excitedly.

Yui smiled at her teammates as they surrounded her. As she saw Miku get revived by the system, she noticed the Imp girl let out a sigh. Yui got back to her feet and walked past her teammates and over to the leader of the team they had just defeated.

Miku did her best to smile at Yui. "Congratulations, Yui. You were really amazing."

Yui held out her hand. "That was a great fight, Miku. Either one of us could have won that. I'm sure Yuuki would be proud."

The female Imp wiped a tear from her eye and nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I'm sure she's looking down at us with a smile on her face." She accepted Yui's handshake gratefully. "Good luck in the finals. You better make sure to win."

"You got it." Yui nodded. "We'll make sure to win for you guys as well."

Miku walked back over to her team. All of her teammates congratulated her on a well-fought match, and they walked out of the arena. It had been a long hard fought battle, but they had done their best. And that was enough in their eyes.

* * *

Kagero walked through the hallways of the stadium. Even though their match was over, their was still the upcoming fight between Team Moonshadow and Team Demise. There was a thirty minute intermission before the fight started, so the red haired Salamander had decided to go grab some food before going to meet up with her team in the stands.

"Erika?"

The sudden call of her real world name caused the female Salamander to turn around quickly and see the player that had just called her. Her eyes widened as she was met by a female Sylph with blonde hair styled in a way almost identical to her own. In fact a lot of the mystery Sylph seemed to be similar to Kagero's avatar. But Kagero had never seen this player before. How did she know her real name?

"Wh-Who are you?" Kagero asked. "How do you know my name?"

The female Sylph showed a caring smile to her. "Why wouldn't I know it? I'm the one who gave it to you."

Kagero's eyes slowly widened as she realized the identity of the player standing before her. "Mom?!"

"In the flesh." Leafa nodded with a smile. "This is my ALO avatar that I used back in the day. My name in here is Leafa."

"Leafa…" Kagero repeated. She looked her mother up and down. "It seems even in the virtual world, I'm just like you, aren't I?"

Leafa frowned slightly. "Kagero… no, Erika. I think you and I need to have a talk." The Sylph gestured her daughter over to a nearby bench where the mother and daughter sat down together. "I saw your match just now."

"I take it you're disappointed in me then? I lost after all." Erika said in a hollow voice.

Lefa shook her head. "Of course not Erika. You fought your absolute hardest out there. I'm nothing, but proud of you."

Kagero looked at her mother in surprise. "R-Really?"

A sigh escaped Leafa as she held her head low. "Erika… do you remember when the two of us used to spar back in the first few years you were starting kendo?"

Kagero nodded her head. "Yes, of course. We would spar all the time."

Leafa smiled slightly as she thought back on the old memories. "I loved those moments between the two of us. I always saw a sparkle in your eyes whenever we sparred. But these past couple of years, you stopped asking me to spar with you. You grew more and more distant from me, and I felt like I was losing the daughter I had known for so long."

Kagero frowned, unable to look at her mother. She had known that she had taken out some of her anger on her mother from being compared to her, even though she wasn't to blame. But her anger had blinded her for so long that she had kept it out of her mind.

"I never really knew what caused you to start distancing yourself from me. At first, I thought it was just you going through a rebellious phase in your teenage years, but you were still as close with your father as you had always been. It was just with me that you were distant. But today, while watching your match, I think I finally realized what it was."

"Mom…" Kagero said, cutting her mother off. The female Salamander could no longer hold it in as tears began to roll down her eyes. "I'm sorry. I blamed you for so long. I was so sick of being seen in your shadow that I… I… I took it out on you!" Kagero buried her head into her hands as she sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Leafa pulled her daughter in close and wrapped her arms around her. "I know sweetie. I'm sorry too. I should have noticed how much you were suffering."

Kagero shook her head while she sobbed into her mother's clothes. "No, it's my fault. I was being selfish and insecure. I just… I was just throwing a tantrum, wasn't I?"

Leafa shook her head. "I'm to blame too. I thought about confronting you about this before. But… well I remembered how strict my grandfather was when I was a kid. He was harsh with his lessons, and really mean when I didn't follow them to the letter. I was afraid of making you feel the same fear I did."

"Mom…" Kagero said in surprise as she looked up at her.

"I was afraid of what was the right way to be a mother, and you suffered for it." Leafa said. "I'm sorry."

Kagero hugged her mother tightly with tears rolling down her eyes. "Mom… you're not a failure as a mother. You're the best mom I could have asked for. I… I love you so much."

A smile came to Leafa's face as a tear fell from her eye as well. "Thank you dear. That means so much."

Minutes passed as the mother and daughter sat together, holding each other in a loving embrace from which neither of them wanted to end.

 **A/N: I hope the fight between Yui and Miku was worth the wait, as well as the moment between Kagero and Leafa. See you all next week.**


	27. The Devil Reveals Himself

**A/N: So I've been playing Accel World vs SAO a lot this week and it is SO FREAKING GOOD! It was not easy taking time away from it to write, but I have a duty to my readers. For all of you that have been waiting for some more action from Team Moonshadow, the wait has ended. Enjoy the chapter.**

Walking out into the stands, Rin and her team could hear the talks going on amongst the crowd. The intermission was almost over, and the second match of the semifinals would soon be starting. Team Black Firestorm made sure to keep a close eye on the upcoming battle. They would be facing whoever won this in the final match.

"Team Moonshadow and Team Demise." Yui said aloud. "Both of them have skilled players. There's no way to tell who'll win this."

"It better be Team Moonshadow." Rin said. "That jerk Shade owes me a rematch."

Naoki rolled his eyes at his teammate. "Seriously, that guy is all you ever talk about. It's like you have a crush on him or something."

"Shut it!" Rin growled as she slammed her fist against Naoki's head, making the male Salamander hold his head in pain. "Don't go bringing up your perverted ideas. I just want to settle things with him and pay him back for all those insults he gave me."

The sight of Haruka walking up into the ring told everyone that the intermission was over. The female fairy waved out to the crowd. "Thank you for being patient everyone. We will now begin the second match of the semifinals to see who will be facing Team Blazing Firestorm in the final round. Give it up for Team Moonshadow and Team Demise."

Cheers were heard all around as the two teams walked out. Neither one seemed to pay the crowd any mind. They all kept their calm and collected attitude.

"So that's Team Moonshadow." the group looked over to see Miku and Apollo walk up next to them to watch the match. "I've been hearing a lot about them. They're pretty good for a team of only three players."

"Each one of them is very skilled." Lilly noted. "First there's Kamui, who seems to be an AGI type player. Then there's Kaguya, the tricky strategic player for their team. And lastly there's Shade."

"I can't vouch for the other two, but Shade's definitely the real deal." Yui said. "He was able to beat Rin, and when we fought in the battle royale he gave me a run for my money."

Everyone kept their eyes glued to the arena as Haruka looked back and forth between the two teams. "Will both teams please select their first fighters?"

The two to step into the ring were Kamui and Pride. Both were Sylphs, but it was clear just by looking at the two that their styles of fighting were quite different.

Miku gripped the railing tightly as she looked at the player from Team Demise in disgust. "Pride…"

The female Sylph showed a cocky smirk to her opponent. "What's this? I have to fight the little kid? What a waste of my time."

Instead of getting angry over Pride's comment, Kamui smirked right back at her. "I'll try not to embarrass you too much, but I can't make any promises. It'll look pretty bad when you lose to a little kid."

Haruka announced the fight to begin and the two players sped at each other with lightning quick speed. Kamui used his small size to his advantage, keeping his body low and avoiding each of Pride's thrusts while getting in every scratch he could with his short sword. Pride was no slouch either though, and kept her footwork moving swiftly as she kept her opponent's openings for attacks to a minimum.

"They're both AGI players, but their choice in weapons makes their fighting styles different." Apollo said. "That Kamui guy doesn't seem to be focussing on going in for any vital spots. He's just delivering small scratches over and over again."

Lilly nodded her head. "He's slowly wearing her down and waiting for the right moment to strike. He'll go in for the attack once he's ready to finish her off."

"Pride on the other hand is a rapier user." Tetsuya mentioned. "Her plan will be to get in critical strikes with her rapier. And with Kamui's build, I doubt he has the defense to take too many hits."

"It'll be a test of who gets their chance first." Yui said.

The fight continued with Kamui continuing to slowly chip away at his opponent's HP. As he went in for another attack, Pride anticipated his movement and thrusted her rapier forward, piercing Kamui's shoulder. The small Sylph flinched in pain and quickly jumped back to put some distance between them.

Pride smirked as she pointed her rapier at Kamui. "You're a few years too early to play with the big kids, junior. Why don't you make the smart move and give up?"

Miku's grip tightened. She couldn't stand Pride and her cocky attitude, looking down on everyone around her. How much she wished she could be in that ring right now, putting the arrogant Sylph in her place.

Kamui sped in towards Pride for another assault. Pride readied her rapier for another counter-attack, slowly reading Kamui's movements.

' _Let's see you keep up with this.'_ Kamui silently thought as he pulled a quick move, slipping past his opponent and getting behind her. His blade lit up as he went in for an attack. "Take this!"

Pride felt Kamui's blade cut into her back, making her HP fall slightly. As she did, Pride swung her leg under Kamui's feet and tripped the Sylph over. Before Kamui could get up, Pride placed her foot on his chest and pointed her rapier at his face.

"Time to end this." Pride smirked as she thrusted her rapier down at her opponent, piercing his skull. Kamui let out a cry of pain as his HP plummeted drastically. Pride pulled her rapier back, only to stab at him once again. The female Sylph reveled in the cries of pain that came from Kamui.

The crowd looked on in horror as Pride slowly took apart Kamui's HP. She could end the match easily by attacking a vital spot. But instead she pierced him bit by bit in random areas as his HP slowly fell.

"How could she do that?" Strea gasped. "She's drawing out his suffering."

Pride continued her torture act of taking apart Kamui's HP. "What's the matter brat? Is this all you-"

"Pride!" the sudden shout from Lucifer caught the female Sylph's attention as she looked towards her leader. "Stop messing around and finish him off."

Pride frowned but obeyed her leader as she sliced her rapier at Kamui's neck, cutting off his head. He burned away into a remain light and walked off the ring. "Always spoiling my fun."

Even Haruka needed a moment to compose herself after the brutal display of suffering. "Th-The winner is Pride of Team Demise!"

There were still a few cheers from some players, those that enjoyed seeing the brutality. But a majority of players were silent, terrified of what they had just witnessed.

Luna frowned as she looked at what had just happened. "That was so mean. Why'd she do that?"

"Because she's a stuck up spoiled princess." Miku growled. "But unfortunately, she's got the skills to back it up."

The second round started as Kaguya stepped up onto the ring for her team. She was clearly displeased at the way her teammate had been treated and planned on getting some much needed revenge. Across from her, the Pooka of Team Demise, Lust, stepped up.

"Such a shame. I was hoping to have some fun with your leader. I just love the mysterious type." Lust said in a seductive tone as she brought out her spear. "Oh well. I guess I'll just have to make due with you."

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?" Kaguya asked. The Imp reached for her belt and pulled out six kunai knives, three in each hand.

Haruka saw no reason to delay things any further. "The second match! Kaguya versus Lust! Begin!"

Starting things off right away, Kaguya dashed to the side, trying to flank her opponent. She threw two of her knives at her opponent. Lust deflected the first one, while sidestepping away from the second.

"Honestly, do you really think those silly knives will be enough to beat me?" Lust questioned. "I saw you in action in the battle royale. You used the wire attached to your kunai to trap and immobilize your opponents." The Pooka grinned and moved in towards Kaguya. "But without a forest of trees to lodge your knives into, you can't use that trick on me!"

Kaguya threw another kunai at Lust. As the Pooka grinned, having to exert little effort to dodge, Kaguya quickly waved her arm around, manipulating the wire attached to her kunai. In the corner of her eye, Lust gasped as she caught sight of the thrown kunai wrapping around the tipped end of her spear. With her wire wrapped around her opponent's weapon, Kaguya brought out her wings and took off into the air. Lust felt the wire yank on her spear, pulling her up as well.

Lust growled as she felt herself be pulled along into the air by Kaguya. "You want this so much? Fine!" Lust said as she took her spear and threw it towards Kaguya. "You can keep it lodged right in your body!"

Kaguya saw the spear come at her and quickly moved away to dodge it, though it nicked her shoulder. Now weaponless, Lust went after her airborne spear. However, a stinging pain in her back caused her to lose her focus and fall towards the ground. She hit the arena floor with a thud and reached for where she felt the origin of the pain, pulling out one of Kaguya's kunai.

Not wasting a moment, Kaguya landed on the ring and threw two more kunai at Lust. The female Pooka kept her body low on the ground as the knives flew over her. She smirked as she pushed off the ground to get up, but her eyes widened when she felt something press her back down, preventing her from getting more than a couple inches off the ground.

' _Wire?! But how?!'_ Lust thought.

"Wondering how I was able to set up my wire trap?" Kaguya smirked, knowing what her opponent was thinking. "Look in front of you and tell me what you see."

From her lying position, Lust looked forward. At first, all she saw was one of the pillars at the corner of the ring. But as she looked closer, she widened her eyes at what was lodged into it. The two kunai Kaguya had just thrown. Lust slowly put the pieces together and looked at each of the other pillars in each corner, seeing thrown kunai embedded in them as well.

"My wire is attached to two kunai, one for each end of it." the Imp explained. "Whenever I threw a kunai at you, I was also secretly throwing another one in the opposite direction. And now you're left immobile."

"Damn you." Lust growled.

Kaguya spread her wings and flew over to Lust. She landed on one of her wires, showing further how helpless her opponent was before her. She brought out her bow and pulled an arrow back, aiming directly at Lust's head. "You expected me to be unable to use my wire trap. That's why you lost."

The Imp took a large amount of satisfaction in seeing her arrow pierce Lust's head and take out her HP in an instant. A remain light quickly took her place, and the fight was officially over.

"The winner is Kaguya of Team Moonshadow!" Haruka declared. "Both teams now have one win each."

As the crowd cheered, Apollo looked at Kaguya with a grin. "She's a clever one. I didn't see that coming."

"She knows how to use even a simple location like a fighting ring to her advantage in battle. Not a lot of players can do that." Lilly said in agreement.

"Either way, this will all be decided with this next fight." Yui pointed out.

Shade was the only player left on his team, but as the leader it was only natural he would be fighting in the last fight anyway. For Team Demise, the one to step up was their leader Lucifer.

Out of the entire group, Rin was the one keeping the closest eye on the fight. She didn't like to admit it, but it was because of Shade that she had improved so much in the past few weeks. Her drive to beat him had caused her to train even harder than before. And the only way for her to pay him back was to fight him. She couldn't honestly say she hated him, but she didn't exactly like him either.

' _You better win this, you pompous jerk.'_ Rin thought silently. ' _I won't forgive you if you lose before I get the chance to beat you.'_

In the ring, Lucifer kept his innocent and heartwarming smile. "So you're Shade of Team Moonshadow? I must say, it's an honor. I've heard a lot about your recent accomplishments."

"You can cut the act." Shade said coldly.

Lucifer blinked in surprise at the Spriggan. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You're not the kind soul you've been pretending to be. If you were, you wouldn't be teaming up with the kinds of players you're with."

"I can assure you my team is-"

"I also sense the cold animosity behind you." Shade added. "You can keep playing coy all you want, but you won't fool me."

A chuckle escaped Lucifer. "I'm afraid you're mistaken." He reached for his sword and slowly unsheathed it. "All I want is a fight that can help my blade sing."

Shade gripped his katana and took his stance. "I'll give you that and much more."

Seeing both players ready, Haruka decided to start the match. "The third match! Shade versus Lucifer! Begin!"

Both Shade and Lucifer stood across from each other, neither one making a move. Silence overtook the arena as everyone waited for the action to start. Shade held his stance, trying to find the right moment to attack. Lucifer on the other hand stood casually, not taking any firm stance.

"What's the matter? Am I that scary?" Lucifer asked jokingly. "Well then, if you won't come to me…" Shade widened his eyes as Lucifer closed the distance between them with surprising speed. "I'll come to you."

' _He's fast!'_ Shade thought as he quickly leaped to the side to avoid Lucifer's blade swinging down at him.

Lucifer was not willing to let his opponent escape so easily. He chased after him, swinging slash after slash. Shade was quickly being put on the defensive as he dodged and blocked every slash he could. He couldn't let things continue like this. Standing firm, Shade swung his katana and intercepted Lucifer's next slash. The two players stood deadlocked in the ring in a test of strength.

"Not bad." Lucifer grinned. "I see the rumors about you were true. I'm glad I got the chance to face off against you."

"Are you ever going to drop your foolish act?" Shade asked. He pushed forward and finally managed to break Lucifer's balance. He went in on the attack and delivered a slash to the Imp, cutting off a portion of his HP while moving past him.

Shade attempted to follow up with a horizontal slash, but Lucifer nimbly ducked under it as the sword cut only the air. As it did, he swung his own sword upwards, parrying Shade's attack. He swung his leg under the Spriggan and knocked him off balance. As Shade fell over, Lucifer's blade became illuminated with an azure blue light. He delivered a series of swift slashes with a sword skill, tearing apart Shade's HP and covering his avatar with cuts and scratches.

As Shade felt his back hit the ground, he knew he had to act quickly while Lucifer was caught in the stun delay. He quickly got back up and thrusted his blade at Lucifer's head in an attempt to take him out in one go. Unfortunately, Lucifer regained movement at the last second and quickly tilted his head to the side to avoid the incoming blade. After he dodged Shade's attack, Lucifer moved in and delivered a vicious punch to Shade's stomach. His eyes bulged from the power behind the hit, but he endured it and attacked his foe.

Lucifer moved back, but he couldn't fully avoid Shade's blade, taking a cut near his chest. He scowled as he saw his HP hit yellow as he put some distance between him and Shade.

"I'm not done!" Shade yelled out as he chased after Lucifer, moving his blade around in an odd fashion.

Yui's eyes widened as she recognized the movement. ' _That's the move Shade used on me!'_

"Shadow Illusion Slash." Shade called out with a glare as he finally swung his sword, cutting down another large chunk of Lucifer's health.

Gasps of shock came as Shade moved past Lucifer, skidding his feet to a halt. The Spriggan looked at his opponent, a slight frown forming from his lips under the cloth mask covering the lower part of his face. "Is this really all you're capable of? I find it hard to believe the player that took down so many throughout the tournament would be this weak."

"I'm weak you say?" Lucifer asked.

"If this is actually your best, than yes." Shade said. His eyes shot a piercing glare. "But you're not going all out, are you? You've underestimated me and took me lightly, causing the difference in our HP currently."

Out of nowhere, a chuckle escaped Lucifer. Players watched silently as the Imp continued to chuckle, slowly breaking out into a hysterical laughter. He turned around to face Shade and showed a look no one had ever seen the Imp make during the entire of the tournament. A face that was devoid of sanity. A murderous intent flooded out from him. "Not going all out? You're right, I have been holding back. But because I've underestimated you? No, it's because you're just too weak!"

"That's some bold talk coming from a player in your position." Shade said. "Another couple of hits and I'll win. Perhaps it's too late for you to win, even if you go all out from here on out."

"Is that what you think?" Lucifer questioned. He took a stance and looked at Shade with a sinister grin. "Well since you're so intent on seeing my full power, I guess I'll have to get serious for a bit."

Shade kept his eye on Lucifer. His attitude had changed, so perhaps he was going to get serious now. Even still, he had no intention of losing this match.

"Here I come." Lucifer said. With surprising quickness, surpassing his speed from before, he vanished from Shade's sight. Shade looked to the left and right, wondering where the Imp had gone. Out of nowhere, he felt a sword pierce his chest from behind. Lucifer grinned as he stood behind the Spriggan. "What's wrong? Can't you keep up with me at seventy-five percent of my full power?"

From the side of the ring, Kaguya and Kamui gasped at seeing the sudden turn in the fight. "Shade!"

Team Demise showed no signs of surprise from Lucifer's sudden change in personality or his surge in power. "Looks like boss has turned his switch on." Greed said. "And after he went on and on before about making sure we don't show too much brutality in the tournament to keep a good image."

Gluttony took a bite of the meat in his hand. "Lucifer's won this. That Spriggan is at his mercy now."

"Of course. As if anyone could beat Lucifer." Lust smirked. "Now he's the kind of guy that get's a girl's murderous intent flowing."

In the ring, Shade tried to endure the pain of the sword currently impaled in his body. Finally, Lucifer yanked his sword out, only to deliver a kick that made the Spriggan tumble across the ring floor. "Come on, entertain me a little more won't you? I want to hear my blade sing." He walked over to Shade as the Spriggan slowly got to his feet. "If you can't give me a fight that does that-" he said as he raised his sword up. "-then at least soothe my ears with the sound of you crying in agony!"

Lucifer's sword swung down, severing off Shade's left arm. He let out a cry of pain from the severed limb as it fell to the floor and shattered. He tried to endure the pain and go in for an attack, holding his katana with his one hand, but the form was sloppy without two hands to properly hold it. Lucifer dodged it with ease and swung his leg up, driving his knee into his opponent's stomach. While Shade felt the air rush out of his lungs, he dropped his sword and Lucifer grabbed him by the back of his clothing and threw him up into the air. He held out his palm aimed towards Shade and began to chant a spell.

"Look out!" Rin called out from the stands.

Shade managed to barely see Lucifer chanting his spell through his foggy vision and quickly brought his arms up to defend himself. As Lucifer finished the chant, Shade was surprised to see himself being surrounded by a green aura. Looking at his HP gauge, he saw the bar going back up.

"He's healing him?" Lilly questioned. "What's he thinking?"

Yui gripped the railing tightly as a serious expression came to her face. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

As Shade was questioning why his opponent was healing him, Lucifer closed in and impaled his sword into him. Shade cried out in pain as his HP fell once again. Lucifer then delivered an axe kick that sent Shade crashing from the air onto the arena floor.

"You can't go dying on me yet. I haven't had enough fun yet." Lucifer grinned madly as he once again chanted a healing spell, recovering a portion of Shade's HP again.

The crowd all watched on silently, unable to comprehend the sudden brutality Lucifer was showing. He had never acted like this in any of his previous fights during the tournament.

Rin and the others watched the scene unfolding before them in horror. None of them had ever seen any player act like this before. Not ever.

"He… He's torturing him…" Sayaka gasped as she shivered in fear.

"What kind of lunatic is this guy?" Naoki asked.

Shade slowly tried to pick himself up off the ground, but Lucifer stopped him by landing his boot right on the Spriggan's head. "What's the matter? I thought you wanted me to drop my little act. Isn't this what you asked for?" He stabbed his sword down into Shade, making him let out another agonizing cry of pain.

Luna felt tears come to her eyes. "Why… Why is he doing that… Why is he trying to hurt him so much?" The young AI couldn't look at the horrifying sight anymore and hugged Lilly tightly, burying her head into her sister. Lilly held Luna comfortingly and rubbed her back. This was brutality the young girl shouldn't have to see.

Rin couldn't stand watching this anymore. She ran down the stands, getting as close s she could to the arena floor. She gripped the railing and shouted out towards the ring. "Shade! You can't let this asshole beat you! You have to fight back!" she shouted out with tears in her eyes. "You can't lose here!"

The female Salamander's voice barely registered in Shade's ears as he felt another wave of healing magic wash over him, only to be impaled again by Lucifer's blade.

"YOU OWE ME A REMATCH DAMNIT!" Rin cried. "YOU CAN'T LOSE HERE! NOT LIKE THIS! NOT TO SOMEONE LIKE HIM!"

Lucifer chuckled as he looked at Shades beaten body. "My, my, it looks like you've got a fan. Why don't you say hello to her?!" He grabbed Shade's head and flew with him to the edge of the ring, slamming the Spriggan's head against the barrier with excessive force.

Rin couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had never particularly liked Shade, but she had respected him as a skilled player. Someone she desperately wanted to surpass. But the face he showed now wasn't the cool calm and collected face he always seemed to have. Instead it was the face of someone who no longer had any will to fight and simply wanted his suffering to end.

Lucifer was quickly growing bored with his ragdoll of an opponent. "How pathetic. You're already a broken shell. I was hoping for a bit more. Maybe this'll wake you up."

"Stop it…" Rin begged.

He flew upwards while keeping his grip on Shade's head. He dragged his head along the barrier, flying through the air while Shade was forced to feel the barrier around the ring press on his face.

"STOP IT!" Rin cried out.

When he was finished, Lucifer held Shade in the air. The Spriggan put up no resistance. "I'm bored with you. You can die now." Lucifer said as he let go of Shade. The Spriggan's beaten body plummeted towards the ground. As it did, Lucifer swooped down at him. He impaled his sword into Shade's body.

After going through Lucifer's string of torture, Shade's HP finally hit zero and he burned away into a remain light. Lucifer walked off the ring and back over to his team. The entire arena was silent as everyone tried to process everything that had just happened.

"The… The winner is Lucifer…" Haruka declared, clearly still shocked from the brutality. "Team Demise wins the match and will be going on to the final round."

With their win declared, Lucifer and Team Demise walked out of the arena. Shade was automatically revived by the system. He held his head low as he and his team walked away.

"Is it over?" Luna asked, her head still buried into Lilly's clothes.

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. It's over."

Rin watched as Team Moonshadow left. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Shade. Despite her rivalry against him, she would have never wished something like that to befall him. No one deserved that.

Shade had been treated like a punching bag for Lucifer. Rin wished she could have gone in there and given Lucifer a piece of her mind, but she was forced to simply watch on the sidelines. She ran out of the stands and towards the hallways.

* * *

Rin ran through the halls of the arena. As she turned a corner, she caught sight of Team Moonshadow. "Shade!"

The trio turned around and saw the female Salamander. Kamui scowled at her. "What do you want? Here to rub our loss in our faces."

Rin shook her head. "No, that's not it." She lowered her head. "I… I'm sorry about what happened to you out there."

Kaguya showed a smile to the girl. "That's very sweet of you. But you don't have to worry about us. We'll be fine."

Rin looked directly at Shade. The Spriggan was still silent. "Shade… I want you to know, we're going to beat them. Lucifer and Team Demise. We won't let them get away with humiliating you like that. We're going to make them pay."

Kaguya looked at her team leader. "Well Shade? Aren't you going to say anything."

Shade stayed silent for another few moments before turning around to walk away. "Good luck."

As the leader of the team walked away, Kaguya sighed to herself and shook her head. "You'll have to forgive him. He's not one for words."

"Hey, Salamander chick. You better make sure you keep that promise of yours." Kamui said. "We won't forgive you if you guys end up losing."

Rin nodded her head. She watched as Team Moonshadow walked away. She clenched her fists tightly.

' _Lucifer… Team Demise…'_ Rin silently thought. ' _You're going down. I swear it.'_

 **A/N: Well now you've all seen Lucifer's true nature. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter is the start of the final round that you've all been eagerly awaiting. Team Blazing Firestorm vs Team Demise. Who will win? Stay tuned to find out.**


	28. Blazing Firestorm vs Demise

**A/N: Man, it has been a busy week. I recently managed to beat the story of SAO vs Accel World and let me tell you guys, it was something. Any of you SAO fans out there that can play it, I highly recommend it.**

The ALO Annual Tournament always drew big crowds to it every year to watch and the finals were no exception. Every seat in the stadium was filled with players, eagerly anticipating the heart-pounding action to come. Everything had been leading up to this moment, where the strongest team in Alfheim Online would be decided.

Haruka walked up onto the ring, waving to the crowd with her usual smile on her face. Throughout the tournament, she had become quite popular with the players of ALO, and was now seen as almost like an idol for the tournament.

"Hello everyone!" Haruka greeted. "It's been a long week since the tournament started. We've seen some high intensity, action-packed battles since the beginning. But now, out of one hundred and sixty-four teams, only two remain. Team Blazing Firestorm and Team Demise!" Cheers filled the crowd, players rooting for one team or the other. "For our final event, we also have some very special guests. Allow me to introduce, the nine fairy race leaders of Alfheim!"

The monitor quickly showed the nine different race leaders, each sitting in their own private chair, around the stadium, with two guards at each one's side. With the finals of the Annual tournament being such a big event, even they would want to come and see who would win.

"Now then, it's almost time players!" Haruka said. "We'll soon find out which team has the right to claim the title of strongest in Alfheim Online!"

* * *

Team Blazing Firestorm sat together in their waiting room, as they waited for the final round to begin. Each of them had a serious expression on their face. This was it. They had made it to the last round of the tournament. And now they would have to win here, against Team Demise.

The semifinal match between Team Demise and Team Moonshadow was still fresh on everyone's minds. The raw power and unparalleled skill Lucifer showed from beating Shade had them all on edge. And it wasn't just him. Every single member of Team Demise was a force to be reckoned with.

"We have to win this." Rin said. "Not just for the sake of winning the tournament. For everything that Team Demise has done. And especially for the way they humiliated Shade's team."

"Agreed." Yui nodded. "No matter what it takes, we can't lose this."

"You can do it everyone! I know you can!" Luna told them. "You can beat those bullies!"

The group showed a smile from the young AI. Lilly patted Luna's head. "Thanks Luna. You're right, we can do this."

Suddenly, an electronic voice sounded. "Will Team Blazing Firestorm please make their way to the arena?"

Naoki got to his feet. "Sounds like it's time."

The team of five all got up together and made their way out of the waiting room. This was where everything would be decided.

* * *

"It's finally time for us to begin, players!" Haruka announced. "Allow me to present our two teams who will be battling it out today! Team Blazing Firestorm and Team Demise!"

The two teams walked out into the arena, causing cheers to be louder than ever before. In the corner of his eye, Naoki could see his cousins there, each of them still wearing their cheerleading uniforms.

"Let's! Go! Na-o-ki!"

Naoki let out a sigh, but his attention quickly became focussed on the team standing on the other side of the ring, most notably the Leprechaun among them.

' _I'm nothing like him.'_ Naoki silently thought. ' _I can't be… can I?'_

"Let's get this action started right away!" Haruka declared. "Will both teams please send up your first fighters?"

Greed smirked as he stepped forward. "Not sure who I want to play with more. The boy, or one of those lovely ladies."

"Just make sure you win." Lucifer said with a cold layer of ice to his voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Greed told his leader, waving away his concern. "Don't worry, I got this."

The second he saw Greed step forward, Naoki took a step forward as well. "I've got this one. Leave it to me."

"We're counting on you Naoki." Yui said. "Good luck."

Naoki stood across from Greed on the ring. Just the sight of him made the Salamander sick. Greed's words still echoed in his head. All that talk about experiencing all the world's pleasures, how women were nothing more than objects to be owned. But the part that infuriated him the most was when he said the two of them were alike.

As much as Naoki wanted to flat out deny Greed's claim, he knew he couldn't. He had always gone after every pretty face he had seen, regardless of who it was. Was that really any different from what Greed talked about?

"Naoki's up! He's going to fight!"

"Go Naoki! You can do it!"

"Show us that adorable little smile of yours!"

The many cheers from his cousins were still echoing throughout the stands. But Naoki wouldn't let himself be distracted by that this time. He had their support, that was what was important. There was too much riding on this match for him to lose.

"Looks like you got some luck after all. A group of cheerleaders at your beck and call." Greed said with a grin. "Maybe I should have some of my girls dress up like that too. I'm loving the look."

Naoki shook his head. "Wish I could say you're right, but they're actually my cousins." he admitted. "But even if they're not girlfriends or anything, they've still got my back. That's what matters."

"Really?" Greed said with a tone of interest. "You know, I was holding myself back before. Despite how much I love adding girls to my collection, I'm not the type to go after another man's girl. But if what you say is true, that means they're all up for grabs."

Naoki's expression quickly turned into a scowl. "I suggest you stop there."

"Man, and that whole look-alike thing too. Not to mention that peppy spirit they have." Greed had a disgusting grin on his face that made Naoki want to vomit. "Maybe I should work my charm on them later. A whole set of cheerleaders at my side."

Naoki gripped his sword tightly. "I'm warning you."

"And I can only imagine what they'd be like in bed."

Naoki had never felt more ready to kill someone in his entire life. He brought out his own sword and held it strongly in one hand, pointing the tip directly at Greed with a murderous glare in his eyes.

For as long as he'd known them, his cousins had always showered him with affection. They treated him like a baby brother. Maybe it was embarrassing at times, but they had always looked out for and protected him. And he was not going to stand there and let someone talk about them like they were nothing more than trophies to be put on display.

"I'll kill you."

Haruka saw both players ready to fight, and decided to start the match. "The first match! Naoki vs Greed! Begin!"

Naoki beckoned Greed to come closer. "Go on. Use that copycat spell of yours and clone my sword. I'm going to put you in your place by taking you down at your full strength."

Greed let out a small chuckle. "A fair sport, eh? I can respect that. But there's no need for you to be so courteous. I don't even need to touch your sword this time."

Naoki watched as the Leprechaun recited his spell, just like before. Once he was finished, he held out his hand. Gradually, Naoki large two-handed sword manifested, the same copy as before.

"Wh-What?" Naoki gasped. "How'd you copy my sword like that? I thought you needed to touch the weapon to copy it."

"You're half right." Greed explained. "Once I use my spell, I can copy any item I touch, with the exact same appearance and stats. However, it also gives me access to a special spot in my inventory. I can keep my cloned weapons in there to use at my leisure, up to ten in total. Anymore, and I have to overwrite one of my copies with the new one I want to add. So after I copied your sword last time, I decided to save it in one of those ten spots. It was much better than the last two-handed sword I copied anyway."

Naoki widened his eyes. "Then… that means-"

"That I'm a jack of all trades? Yes, I am." Greed confirmed with a smirk. "I'm quite proficient with several weapon types, just as I am with several types of women."

"You piece of shit. I'm gonna enjoy wiping the floor with you!"

With Naoki's charge forward, the crowd cheered as the finals began. The Salamander brought down his sword down upon Greed who raised his own for a block. The force of impact made the Leprechaun's feet buckle down slightly, small cracks appearing on the ground below him.

The lecherous teen kept his smirk on his face which only made Naoki all the angrier. "Oh why Naoki, what's with the sudden burst of anger? Have I said something to upset you?"

Getting more irritated at his smug face, Naoki pushed down his sword to knock Greed's down to the ground which left his side vulnerable to a elbow to the chin. Greed grunted, shoving the elbow out of his face and slipping the copied sword down to his opponent's foot. The redhead managed to move his foot in time to prevent being impaled but that left him open to a shove off which allowed Greed to escape from the close encounter.

"Woo! Naoki! Keep at him!"

"Don't give him a chance to breath!"

"You're way cuter than him!"

Greed gave a look to cousins who cheered their hearts out for his opponent but their cheering ceased once they caught him looking. Looks of scorn at distaste were replaced on their faces, showing that they had zero interest in him. Looks that made Strea from where she was at shiver in remembrance of her first encounter with them.

"Hm, those girls seem rather obsessed with you Naoki. You sure they're just your cousins and nothin-"

The cold feeling of metal on his neck made Greed hold his tongue. "I suggest you don't finish that sentence you rat."

A shining light coming from Greed's free hand caught his attention, making him bring up his sword to block the Leprechaun's rising hand. He grunted as a rapier formed in Greed's free hand and shoved him back with the blow to his sword. A rough cough escaped Naoki's lips as the copied sword dragged itself on his exposed side. A jump back could hardly create enough space between them for him to escape, especially when Greed's rapier found itself embedded in his stomach with a quick throw from the cretin. He fell to the ground with his HP slowly being drained from the impaled wound. Seeing the Leprechaun jump to him with his copied sword raised over head to kill, Naoki went for a risky maneuver.

Chanting the magic of the Salamanders made Greed widen his eyes and bring his wings out in a panic. "Gotcha!" Naoki spun his hand around to the side and shot a medium sized fireball at his exposed wing. The fire seared the top part of Greed's left wing which caused him to crash on the floor, dropping his copied sword next to him.

With his HP falling into the low green by the time he painfully managed to rip it out of his stomach, Naoki crushed the rapier under his foot. His eyes not leaving Greed's for a single moment while doing it. "One toy down, nine more to go."

Putting his wing away in frustration, Greed took a look to his allies in the waiting pit. Seeing Lucifer giving him a harsh look of scorn while the others laughed at his mistake, he decided to cool down and take a different approach. He brushed himself off from the dirt and placed his copied sword over his shoulder. "Come on now Naoki, why are you so upset with me?"

Naoki spat at the ground, a show that said all he needed it to.

"Not even gonna give me a reason? I thought we were one and the same Naoki?" This got a reaction out of the Salamander with him throwing a fireball at his head. He ducked under it a grinned, having figured out where his opponent's buttons lie. "Does that upset you?"

The look of hatred grew deeper the more he talked. "I am NOTHING like you! You treat women like they're toys! Like they're meant to be played with! But they aren't and you make me sick by comparing the two of us together!"

"But we are one and the same Naoki. I just have better luck with finding the treasures who are more than willing to share themselves with me." He gave a passing look to the women on Naoki's team in the waiting pit. "But you on the other hand seem to have such horrid luck with women, especially those on your team who detest you with every fiber of their beings."

"You shut up about them! You don't know anything and never will know what they think!"

Greed felt like laughing at this point. It was easy to see how easy it was to get an emotional reaction out of Naoki when it came to his friends. "Ah, but I've done my homework on both you and your friends Naoki. Or should I say; "Hopeless Pervert"? Or does "Philandering Creeper" work better for you?" The look of unease on his face was a clear sign he hit a nerve.

"..." The weight of his sword suddenly felt like the world was baring down on it with how Greed was airing out his dirty laundry in front of the audience who had fallen silent at the exchange.

"What is he doing!?" Rin yelled at seeing his sword fall down to the floor. "That idiot is letting his words get to him!?"

Yui moved up a bit to the front of her friends and gave a shout to her teammate. "Naoki snap out of it! He's just trying to psyche you out of the fight! Don't listen to him!"

The others looked a bit relieved once Naoki seemed to pick his sword back up but once Greed jumped forward and hit him with a sucker punch they gasped in shock.

Greed planted his foot on the teen's chest and stabbed his sword into his arm. Naoki cried out in pain as his HP started to drain from his body. "I feel really sorry to do this to someone so similar to me but it's nothing personal. I hate doing this to you Naoki but hey, after my team wins this whole thing then maybe I can teach you my ways. With my advice you could easily have a whole harem to yourself and then some. How does that sound?"

Greed's words barely registered in Naoki's mind with him being too distracted in his own thoughts and the pain in his right forearm. There was no denying the similarities between how they went around about women in the end. Both of them were just flirts but Greed was more successful in wooing women that he ever was.

' _Is it true? Am I really just like him? Do the girls… really hate me?'_

"NAOKI, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"

The shout from the stands caught everyone's attention as all eyes shot to where Naoki's cousins were located. One Undine stood out from the cheerleaders as even they looked surprised at the sudden arrival of the girl.

"Sayaka?" Naoki managed to breath out over the pain.

Team Blazing Firestorm looked to their sidelined friend in surprise seeing her willing put herself in the spotlight. No one expected the normally shy Undine to ever shout above the scene before them. "Naoki you are nothing like that creep! Sure you might like girls a bit too much and you throw yourself at anything wearing a skirt but you do it out of wanting a girlfriend! This rat just wants women for the sake of wanting them! You're a way better person than he could ever hope to be!"

The words Sayaka spoke resonated deep within the pit of Naoki's heart and mind. Someone like her believed that he wasn't some ratty pervert. That his efforts were genuine in desire. "Sayaka…"

"Oh please, don't let that little rabble distract you from the truth Naoki. That delusion will only make getting women all the harder for you. Just listen to me and things wil-"

A rough kick into his stomach made Greed cough roughly as he fell to the floor. His copied sword falling to the ground with a clatter before shattering into pieces. Seeing Greed fall once more made the leader of his team snarl with anger.

Naoki sighed as he got up from the ground, looking to see that his HP was in the yellow. He turned over to Sayaka and gave her a wink. "Hey, thanks for that speech Sayaka! Think I'll take you out on a date as thanks after this is done."

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah…" A feeling of dread overcame the girl as seven pairs of eyes all focused on her, making the Undine squeak in fear. "What did you just say Naoki?"

He sighed, hating how overprotective his cousins were and waved them off. "It was a joke, calm down! But seriously Sayaka, thanks for that. If it was up to Rin she'd probably kick me until I snapped out of it. Always nice to have a more gentle woman break me out of my daze." It was a good thing that the Salamander turned back to Greed, or else he might've seen her blushing face. Both from the compliment and the embarrassment from her attention grabbing outburst.

"Hey Greed, I'm gonna mess up your face. It's nothing personal." After thinking that over for a moment, he scoffed and shook his head. "Oh who am I kidding? This is full on, hatred high levels of personal."

His opponent grunted once he got up from the floor looking very annoyed. "And this is why you'll never have any luck with women Naoki. You listen to anything that makes you feel good despite the truth of the matter. You're just like me and that is undeniable!"

The cool facade that drew in so many girls into his hands had all but faded away as his true face appeared. It almost made Naoki feel like an idiot that he fell for his taunts so easily. "Listen here you rat. You treat women like tools, not people and that's not how I roll. Women deserve better than guys like you who just use them." He picked up his sword from the ground and pointed it right at the Leprechaun. "And I'm about to show the world of ALO why you aren't worthy of female attention ever again."

Greed brought out a sword and shield from his copied inventory to block the horizontal strike that Naoki charged with and grunted when he felt his feet slide back from the hit. The rat moved his shield along the edge of the red haired teen's sword to flicked it aside to aim a thrust right at his head to finish him off. Naoki moved his head to the right and headbutted Greed in the face, making him let go out his sword as he grasped his face in pain. When he let go of his face the sight of him breaking his copied sword made the Leprechaun panic slightly as he made off into the sky. But with his wing damaged, flying proved to be more difficult as his left his dragged more to the ground.

Naoki took flight after him and gripped his sword tight. He had been waiting to do this ever since he made the comparison between the two of them during the battle royale. Greed saw a shadow cast over him and then a blade cut into his left shoulder. The Salamander dragged the blade right into his opponent's damaged wing before cutting it off entirely. He screamed as he fell to the ground painfully with a huge chunk of his HP being knocked right off. His health barely above a sliver as he got up and noticed Naoki dive bombing right towards him.

"We both might love women but all I want is a girlfriend, not girls to treat like meat!" He pointed his sword right at Greed's head as his eyes widened in fear. "That's what separates perverts like me-" Naoki said as he thrusted his sword forward. "-from WORTHLESS SCUMBAGS like you!"

The blade pierced right through Greed's head, finishing him off into a remain light as the crowd burst into screams of cheer.

"And there we have it ladies and gentlemen!" Haruka cheered over the crowd. "The first victory of the finals goes to Naoki from Team Blazing FIrestorm!"

In the crowd, Naoki's cousins could all be seen cheering for him loudly. Naoki showed a small smile to them. He may have been a little brother to them, but he knew that despite that he had a duty to protect them. As he began to walk away, he glanced back at Greed as he was revived.

"I pity you, Greed. You may be able to charm girls, but you'll never know what it means to truly love a woman."

Greed shot a glare at the male Salamander walking away from him before he walked away as well. Haruka looked at both teams. "Will both teams please select their next players?"

Rin cracked her knuckles, raring to go. "Leave this one to me guys. I'll end this."

Yui nodded her head understandingly. "Go get 'em."

The female Salamander stepped onto the ring, showing a furious glare in her eyes. She couldn't get the way Team Demise had humiliated Team Moonshadow out of her mind. They disrespected them and treated them like dirt. She had experienced players with a lack of morals before but none as bad as theirs. But if it was any consolation, she planned on making good on her promise to make them pay.

Over by Team Demise, Pride showed a smirk as she took a step forward. "Looks like I'm up."

"No." Lucifer said, cutting the Sylph off before she could walk up. "Gluttony will be our second player."

"What?!" Pride exclaimed as she glared furiously. "Why does that overweight buffon get to go instead of me?!"

"You have a tendency to show off and let your guard down." Lucifer explained. "We're already have a loss. We can't afford to have you go screwing this up. Besides, Gluttony is the best choice for this opponent."

"But-"

"Unless you have a problem and want to question my orders." Lucifer questioned with a slight glare in his eyes.

The cold look in her leader's eyes caused Pride to give in, pouting as she stood at the side. She didn't like it, but Lucifer was a far more powerful force than her.

Gluttony finished the piece of meat he was eating and walked forward. "I was really hoping to sit back and eat. Oh well…" The bulky Gnome stepped into the ring. "I'll just have to end this quickly."

"Go ahead and try." Rin countered.

Haruka raised her hand to start the fight. "The second match! Rin versus Gluttony! Begin!"

Rin wasted no time in starting things off as she took off running towards Gluttony. As she ran, the Gnome quickly chanted a spell. Just as Rin got in close, Gluttony finished his spell and a dome-shaped shell of earth rose up to block the female Salamander. Rin's punch hit the rocky earth but failed to break it.

Although Gluttony's front was protected, Rin knew the weakness of the spell Gluttony used was that the dome didn't reach to his back. She quickly dashed around to her opponent's rear, but as she did, Rin was greeted with a large chunk of earth in Gluttony's hand. Firing the ball of rock formed from the stadium floor, Gluttony watched as Rin was blasted back, her body hitting the barrier wall painfully.

"Be careful Rin! That guy has magic that allows him to use the earth around him as projectiles!" Strea called out.

"I noticed." Rin grunted as she got to her feet.

Looking over at Gluttony, Rin watched as the Gnome raised his hand up and chanted a spell. When he was finished, a layer of what seemed like clay covered the Gnome for a brief moment before disappearing.

' _A defense buff? So he's trying to tire me out.'_ Rin realized. ' _Too bad for him. I'm not resting until I beat him into the dirt.'_

With a loud cry, Rin kicked off the ground as sped at Gluttony. The Gnome held out both arms to the side, collecting chunks of the ring in both hands.

"I won't let you!" Rin yelled as she quickly closed the distance between them, reeling back her fist as she did so. With her speed, she'd be able to hit Gluttony before he could finish collecting earth. She swung her fist forward. "Take this!"

Rin expected her fist to send the Gnome flying, but to her surprise, as well as the crowd's, Gluttony only slid back a few inches, his stance still holding.

' _What?!'_ Rin gasped. As her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened, Gluttony grinned as he swung both his arms together with the chunks of rock he had collected, smashing them together against Rin. the female Salamander let out a cry of pain as she felt the two rocks crush her together. She stumbled around dizzily as Gluttony grabbed her by the head and slammed her into the ground.

"Rin!" Lilly exclaimed.

Gluttony kept a grip around Rin's neck as he pinned her to the ground. As he did, he raised his free hand and began collecting more chunks of rock from the ring.

Rin knew she had to get away. With her legs free from Gluttony's hold, she kicked him in the face, but despite the force she put behind it, the Gnome barely budged. "What the hell? How…"

Gluttony smirked down at the girl. "That spell I used wasn't your normal defense buff. It drastically raises my resistance to physical attacks."

Rin gasped. As a full-on melee fighter with no magic skills to speak of, her entire arsenal was physical attacks. Most players got around such a weakness with sword skills that had elemental properties to add magic damage, but gauntlet users had no such skills at their disposal.

"You finally get it? There's nothing you can do to hurt me while I'm like this." Gluttony said.

' _Damnit!'_ Rin thought as she furiously sent kick after kick at Gluttony's face while more earth was collected in the Gnome's free hand. ' _I've got to get out of this grip fast!'_

Rin's team could only watch as the female Salamander helplessly struggled against the member of Team Demise. Luna covered her eyes, not wanting to see her sister go through the same torture Shade had gone through. "I can't watch…"

"Don't count her out yet Luna." Lilly told her. "Rin's not one to give up easily."

Rin could tell her attacks weren't doing much to her opponent. As she desperately tried to find a way out of the situation she was in, an idea came to her head. She stopped her repeated kicks on Gluttony's head and instead hooked her legs around Gluttony's right leg.

"Huh?" Gluttony wondered as he saw the female Salamander's actions. Before he could realize what she was doing, Rin performed a swift motion that made Gluttony lose his balance as he was swept off his feet. "Woah!"

Gluttony fell towards Rin, who used all of her strength to shove him over her, making him crash headfirst into the ground. The collection of rock in his hand crumbled away and his grip on Rin was lost.

"See?" Lilly said with a smirk, looking down at Luna. "Even without access to brute strength, Rin's got a ton of techniques mom taught her over the years."

Luna smiled excitedly as she cheered for her sister. "Go Rin! Beat him up!"

Gluttony grumbled in annoyance as he got to his feet. Rin charged at him as he began to collect chunks of rock for his spell again, but Gluttony wasn't worried. Her physical attacks could barely scratch him as long as his buff was still up.

Rin however, wasn't planning on holding back. She reeled her fist back and with a furious roar swung it forward with all her might right into his stomach. As the fist drove into his stomach, Gluttony felt the air rush out of his lungs. ' _What?! Impossible!'_

"You shouldn't expect one simple buff to protect you from me." Rin glared as she yanked her fist out, only to send another punch his way. Punch after punch came as Gluttony was slowly being pushed back, each hit from Rin aimed at his gut. "Let me teach you a little lesson. Don't! Take! Me! Lightly!"

The last punch from Rin shoved itself into Gluttony's gut once again and knocked the Gnome off his feet, making him fall onto his back. He grunted as he sat back up. "What the hell… Where'd that surge in strength come from? Her attacks didn't hit that hard before."

Rin smirked as she looked down at Gluttony. "Didn't you know? Martial arts skills deal extra damage when aimed at vital parts of the body. And that bulging stomach of yours is way too big a target."

"Damn you…" Gluttony glared as he stood on wobbly feet.

Rin smirked as she danced around lightly on her feet. "Come on. You can do better than this, can't you? Or do you need a snack break?"

Gluttony snarled as he looked at the female Salamander mocking him. "Stupid girl… all I wanted was to eat and enjoy watching your team fall one by one. But now I have to fight. I'm starving and I can't take it anymore!"

"Then why don't you surrender? You can eat all you want then." Rin quipped back.

Gluttony reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small round pellet. "You think it's funny. But this hunger drives me crazy." He tossed the pellet into his mouth and swallowed. Soon after, a powerful aura could be seen exerting from his body. A sinister grin slowly came to Gluttony's face. "There we go! That should satisfy me while I tear you limb from limb!"

Rin could feel the intimidating presence coming from Gluttony, almost as if it could blow her away in an instant. ' _What the hell? Just what did that item do to him? Where's all this power coming from?'_

"DIE!" Gluttony roared as he charged at Rin with surprising speed. Rin gasped as she was tackled back. She sent punch after punch at Gluttony's stomach as he pushed her back, but to no avail. His HP was decreasing but the Gnome didn't seem to feel it. Rin eventually hit the barrier, Gluttony crushing her against it. She let out a cry of pain as he HP slowly decreased.

Gluttony followed up by locking his arms around Rin and flying up into the air before zooming back down towards the ground, smashing Rin into the ring with a furious piledriver. As Rin slowly recovered from the dizziness in her head, Gluttony swung a punch at her, knocking her back. She skidded across the floor, sliding into one of the craters made by Gluttony from ripping out parts of the ring for his spell earlier.

"This is insane…" Naoki gasped. "What did that guy eat?"

"It's a powerful item." Luna explained. "From what I can tell by looking at his data, all of his stats got a massive increase after he used that item on himself."

"How is an item like that even possible?" Strea asked.

"It comes with a side effect." Luna told her. "Along with all of his stat increases, it seems he's also afflicted by a status ailment. He's unable to tell friend from foe, so there's no way for him to tell if he's attacking an enemy or not."

"But this is a one on one fight." Lilly realized. "The only player for him to target is Rin, so the status ailment won't matter."

"Exactly." Luna nodded.

Rin laid on the ground, her HP in a dangerous shade of red. ' _Damnit… I can't lose like this… I promised everyone I'd win…'_ The female Salamander slowly got to her feet, seeing Gluttony slowly making his way to her.

"Kill you… I'm gonna kill you…" Gluttony grinned madly.

Despite the beating her body had taken so far, Rin stood firm. ' _Looks like I don't have a choice. I'm gonna have to pray I can finish him off in time.'_

With a speedy dash, Rin ran towards Gluttony. She brought her fist back and sent a powerful punch directly at Gluttony's stomach. Although he didn't feel the pain in his crazed state, his HP still decreased.

"I'm not going to lose here!" Rin roared as she sent punch after punch at Gluttony's stomach. With all the buffs the Gnome had, Rin had to bet that she could deal enough damage with repeated attacks to his stomach.

Gluttony swung his fist at Rin, driving it into the girl's gut. She endured the pain however and kept up her assault. Gluttony sent another attack at her, but Rin still didn't falter.

' _Not yet…'_ Rin told herself as she continued punching, seeing Gluttony's HP finally hit red. ' _I can't stop here!'_

"Take this!" Rin cried out as she swung a punch with all the force she could muster. She saw Gluttony's health reach its last few slivers. ' _Just one more…'_ Tapping into every last ounce of strength she had, Rin swung her arm forward for one more punch. "Raaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Just as Rin's fist was millimeters from Gluttony however, she watched as her arm dissolved into flames. She gasped as the rest of her body soon followed, turning into a remain light. She looked down and saw another punch from her opponent had connected, depleting the last of her HP.

"The winner is Gluttony of Team Demise!" Haruka announced. "Both teams now have one win each!"

Cheers and claps were heard around the arena, along with a few boos coming from the players that disliked Team Demises brutality. The one thing that caught everyone's attention though was that Gluttony still had his crazed look in his eyes.

"This is bad!" Luna gasped. "The effects of the item he used haven't worn off yet!"

"What?!" Lilly gasped. She looked over at Gluttony, who looked at them crazily. "We've got a problem!"

Gluttony roared as he lunged at Team Blazing Firestorm. Yui quickly moved in to intercept him and protect her teammates but to everyone's surprise, Lucifer suddenly appeared and drove his sword into his own teammate.

"The fight is over." Lucifer said in a cold tone. "Now get ahold of yourself before you disqualify us with your behavior!"

Gluttony breathed heavily as he looked at Lucifer. The ominous stare he gave off seemed to resonate with Gluttony, slowly relaxing his breathing as he calmed down. Seeing his teammate back to normal, Lucifer yanked his blade out and sheathed it.

"S-Sorry Lucifer…" Gluttony said as he came to his senses. "I couldn't control myself."

"Hmph, you shouldn't have had to use an item like that against an opponent like this in the first place." Lucifer said. "Now go."

"Y-Yes. Understood." Gluttony nodded before going back over to his teammates, desperate to get away from his team leader.

Rin had finally been revived by the system as she stood back up. She glared at Lucifer, who showed her a look that told her he wasn't interested in her.

"You lost. Now get off the ring so we can continue." Lucifer told her harshly. "Unless you have something to say."

Rin clenched her fists in anger as she glared at the leader of Team Demise. "You're going to pay for what you did. Yui's going to beat you."

"Heh, we shall see." Lucifer said with a cocky smirk.

Rin jumped off the ring and walked back over to her team. She hung her head low. "Sorry guys. I couldn't manage a win for us."

"Don't be. You did your best." Yui told her, putting a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as she walked past her. "Just leave the rest to me."

The female Spriggan walked up to the ring, looking up at the leader of Team Demise who was showing her an entertained grin.

"Come. Let us see which team is going to win this tournament." Lucifer said.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the fights so far, cause next chapter will feature the final fight of the tournament. See you all next week.**


	29. A Winner is Decided

**A/N: Well readers, it's finally here. You've waited and watched countless exciting fights. But now it is finally time. The final fight of the ALO Tournament. Enjoy.**

Yui walked up and stared at Lucifer. The male Imp showed an eager smirk as he stared right back at her. Both of their teams were silent, able to do nothing else other than believe in their team leaders.

"So you're the famous Black Swordswoman." Lucifer said. "I've been looking forward to this."

"Why? Humiliating Shade wasn't enough for you?" Yui asked with a glare.

"Not at all." Lucifer said with a shake of his head. "He was simply too weak. All I'm after is an opponent that can make my blade sing. Someone that can force me to go all out." He grinned as he held out his arms to the sky. "Do you have any idea what it's like in this little fairy tale land where there are so few players that can put up a real fight?"

"Being one of the best players in the game doesn't give you the right to treat others like garbage. You don't even seem to care about your own teammates."

Lucifer let a chuckle escape from him. "You're so naive. This game used to be all about PvP and war between the nine fairy races. Now we live in an era of relative peace where the only competition between fairy races is seen in competitions like this."

"What's so wrong about that? Players of all races working together on quests is what makes this game fun." Yui argued. "Each race has their own special trait and by working as a group, so many things become possible."

"But it's made this game so dull. The rush of battle and the excitement of the battlefield is what brings out a person's fighting instincts to their finest! That's why I entered this tournament! But everyone around me has been too weak to bring out my full power! I want a challenge!"

Yui reached for her two swords. "I can understand wanting a challenge. But you've taken it too far." She unsheathed her two weapons and took her stance. "I'm going to give you the challenge you've been looking for, Lucifer. And I'm going to beat you."

"Give it your best shot, Black Swordswoman."

The audience was waiting for the fight to start with baited breath. This would be the one that decided it all. The winner of the ALO Annual Tournament.

"Is everyone ready for some action?" Haruka asked the crowd, getting a response in the form of a loud and resounding cheer. "Alright then! The final match! Yui versus Lucifer! Begin!"

Yui and Lucifer both charged at each other the instant the match began. As they met in the middle of the ring, their swords skidded across each other, sparks flying as they did so. With her free sword, Yui attempted to slash through Lucifer. Unfortunately, the male Imp had no such plans and managed to push back Yui's sword clashing with his blade and fall back before her other sword could cut him. Yui wasn't willing to let him run however and chased after Lucifer. She attacked with the Double Circular combo, thrusting one of her blades forward followed by an upwards slash from the second.

Lucifer felt Yui's sword stab into his shoulder. As the upwards slash came however, he quickly blocked it with his own sword. Although one of her swords was blocked, Yui wasn't done. She slashed her currently impaled blade through Lucifer's avatar, shaving away a large chunk of his health. Lucifer growled as he watched his health fall, but not before using Yui's close proximity to his advantage by unleashing the four-hit skill Vertical Square. Yui's health took a large hit as she and Lucifer both jumped back to put some distance between each other.

As both of them took a quick moment to catch their breath from the initial clash, a grin came to Lucifer's lips. "Not bad. You might just be the opponent I've been waiting for."

"Then I'll be happy to be the one to put the nail in your coffin."

Both Yui and Lucifer sped back at each other, going in for another attack. As Yui thrusted one of her swords forward, Lucifer brought out his wings and flapped them, flying directly over Yui's head. As he did, he delivered a cut to Yui's shoulder, lowering the female Spriggan's health even further. Yui quickly turned around as Lucifer landed behind her, attacking him with a downwards slash. Lucifer barely managed to bring his sword up to block the attack in time.

Yui continued to push down on Lucifer's sword with her own. The two became deadlocked in a test of strength.

"Go Yui!" Rin cheered from the side. "You can do it!"

"Beat him up, sis!" Strea called out.

Lucifer chuckled as he heard the cheers from Yui's teammates. "It's a shame you're going to end up letting them all down when you lose this."

"That's what you think." Yui growled.

Lucifer finally managed to push Yui back, causing the girl to stumble back. Lucifer raised his blade, the weapon glowing with the light of a sword skill. Yui however was ready for it as she regained her balance and parried the attack, swinging both of her swords up.

"Take this!" Yui yelled as she aimed a thrust at Lucifer's head while having her second sword go for a horizontal slash at his waist. A clean hit with either one would almost assuredly take out all of Lucifer's HP.

' _Without two swords, he can't fully block this. And he doesn't have time to dodge.'_ Yui thought to herself. ' _I've got this.'_

Everyone widened their eyes in shock as they saw Yui's combo attack. It was almost assuredly her victory. But the crowd gasped in unison as they watched what happened next. Lucifer used his sword to block Yui's slash at his waist. As for the thrust at his head, the Imp used his free hand to push the sword out of the way. The sharp metal cut into his hand, but he managed to avoid having his head stabbed through.

Yui gasped in shock as she watched her combo break apart. Seeing the surprise from her brought a smirk to Lucifer's face as he stabbed his sword through Yui's chest. The female Spriggan cried out in pain as her HP dropped drastically.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Lucifer grinned. He yanked out his sword, only to swing his leg up, hitting Yui's jaw with his boot. Yui was sent flying into the air. As she shook the dizziness out of her head and balanced herself out midair with her wings, she saw Lucifer finish the incantation of a spell.

Naoki widened his eyes in fear. "Is he going to use his healing magic and torture her like he did with Shade?!"

Lilly shook her head. "No, he wouldn't risk it like this. Yui's putting up a close fight with him."

"It's an attack spell!" Luna yelled out. "Yui, look out!"

Yui gasped as a blast of dark energy shot out from Lucifer's palm and flew towards her. The blast hit her and she was sent flying up until her back slammed against the top of the barrier.

"Time to end this!" Lucifer grinned as he shot up with a powerful flap of his wings. He brought his sword back, ready to finish Yui off once he reached her.

As Lucifer swung his sword forward, Yui quickly reacted and moved to the side, barely managing to avoid Lucifer's slash. Lucifer's blade bounced off the barrier, stunning him for a moment due to the power he put behind it.

Not wasting the chance given to her, Yui impaled her sword into Lucifer. "You're right. It is time to end this." she said as she pushed him along with her as she flew down towards the ground at full speed. "And you're the one that's going to lose!"

Lucifer tried to get himself free as he and Yui rocketed down towards the ground. He attempted to shove Yui off him, but the female Spriggan wouldn't give. They crashed into the ground, creating a huge shockwave on impact. Yui jumped out of the cloud of debris that formed and quickly prepared for one final attack to finish her opponent off.

' _Should I use it?'_ Yui asked herself. ' _No, I still haven't mastered it yet. I should go with the safer bet. I can't afford to risk this fight on a gamble.'_

Yui sped forward with her sword reeled back for a thrust. Her blade lit up with a luminous violet glow. She prepared to attack Lucifer as she made out his image in the debris cloud that was vanishing.

"Mother's Rosario!"

Lucifer gasped as Yui quickly attacked with thrust after thrust, unleashing the eleven-hit sword skill on him. His health fell drastically, going down into the low red area, as he received the first ten hits of the skill. Yui went in for the final strike.

Yui roared as she thrusted her blade forward. "This is the end!" Slowly, her blade got closer and closer to Lucifer's body. But just before it could pierce him, Lucifer quickly brought his sword up, blocking the hit with the blunt side of his weapon. Yui gasped, seeing the tip of her blade only hit the weapon of her opponent.

Lucifer was pushed back several meters from the last hit of Mother's Rosario. But he had managed to save himself from losing all of his HP. He a chuckle escape from him s he grinned at Yui.

"Good. Very good." Lucifer told her. "I've finally found one. A player that can make my blade sing! It's taken so long, but it was well worth it!" He laughed to himself. "This is what I've been looking for! A strong player that can push me to my limits and beyond!"

Yui narrowed her eyes. "Shouldn't you wait until you've won before you start celebrating?"

Lucifer stared at the girl. "My apologies. I wasn't aware you were so eager to lose."

The comment from her opponent made Yui glare at him. She got ready for one final attack. "Bring it."

The players in the audience watched with their breath still as Yui and Lucifer simultaneously sped at each other. Yui swung her right-hand sword simultaneously with Lucifer, the two blades clashing and bouncing back. Yui however still had a free hand and used her left-hand sword for a horizontal slash to cut Lucifer's body in half.

' _This is for Team Moonshadow and all of the players you insulted by calling them "weak".'_ Yui thought to herself.

Lucifer grinned as Yui's blade neared him. The female Spriggan gasped as Lucifer managed to duck out of the way of her slash. Her eyes widened in fear as he closed in near her, reeling his sword back.

"Game over."

The entire crowd watched as Lucifer's sword stabbed through Yui's body. The female Spriggan watched as her HP hit zero and her body dissolved into a remain light. Silence overtook the players in the audience.

Haruka stepped forward and announced the victor to the crowd. "The winner is Lucifer of Team Demise! The champions of this year's ALO Annual Tournament are Team Demise!"

A collection of cheers and boos echoed throughout the crowd at the result of the match. At the side of the ring, Team Demise collectively smirked, as if they knew this would happen from the beginning. On the other side, Yui's teammates frowned in disappointment that they had lost.

"I can't believe it. Yui was beaten." Lilly said.

"And we worked so hard to get this far too." Naoki sighed.

Rin clenched her fist. "Damnit… and after we promised everyone that we'd win and put Team Demise in their place."

In the ring, Yui was revived by the system. The disappointment was painted all over her face. She had let her team down. Despite all her best efforts, she had lost. They had lost. And Team Demise had won.

* * *

Up at the higher seats of the arena, the Salamander leader grinned to himself. "This was a good show. Looks like power wins in the end after all."

One of the retainers at his side nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

"Perhaps we could hire those Team Demise players as mercenaries." the leader said to himself. "We could use players like them for-"

The Salamander leader fell silent as he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye. He quickly jumped out of his private chair just as a blade flew at him and stabbed itself into the seat where he was just sitting.

"An assassin!" one of the two retainers exclaimed before both he and his partner moved into guard their leader. "Lord Ignis, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ignis said as he looked in the direction the blade had come from. "Why don't you show yourself, coward?"

Coming out from the shadows, a hooded player revealed themselves, holding a shortsword in his hand, much like the one that had been thrown at Ignis just moments ago. "As expected of the Salamander leader. Your instincts for battle are sharp."

"Who do you work for? The Sylphs? The Imps?"

"I'm not obliged to answer that." the player said, grinning under his hood. "Now die."

* * *

The commotion from the VIP area at the top of the arena gradually caught the attention of all of the players in the stadium.

"An assassin going after the Salamander leader?" Yui asked in disbelief.

"Look! Over there too!" Naoki exclaimed as he pointed to a different VIP room, this one for the Sylphs.

Looking at all of the VIP rooms, each of them had the same situation going on. Assassins going after the leaders of each of the races.

"My goodness! It seems we have a simultaneous attack at each of the race leaders!" Haruka exclaimed. "Assailants have broken into each of the rooms and are currently engaged in battle with them!"

"This was a planned attack." Lilly said with narrow eyes. "They waited for the excitement to be at its peak once the final match ended, then attack while the leaders would be distracted."

"But how can they kill them here?! We're still in the safe zone of the city, aren't we?" Naoki asked.

Luna shook her head. "The arena itself isn't a safe zone. It's designed that way because of the constant battles that go on in the tournament."

"Which means that PKing is fair game here." Lilly realized.

"But why go after all of them?" Strea asked. "There'd have to be one leader pulling the strings, otherwise there'd be no point."

"I can think of two possibilities." Lilly said. "Either multiple race leaders had the same idea, or one of the attacks is a phony to cast suspicion off of them."

"We can figure out the reason later. Right now, we need to put a stop to this." Rin said.

In the corner of her eye, Luna saw a two figures speed at them. "Look out!"

Team Blazing Firestorm saw the two players coming at them and quickly split up. Rin flew at one of them, reeling her fist back. She swung it forward, only for it to be blocked by the hooded player's arm. He quickly grabbed Rin's arm and threw her towards one of the walls of the arena. Rin quickly recovered as she flew back and stopped herself with her wings. She then flew right back at the mystery player.

Looking over by his team, Lucifer saw the same thing happening with two hooded players attacking them. He glanced over to Yui. "I suggest we put our differences aside for the time being and call a truce until this matter is settled. Agreed?"

As much as Yui hated to admit it, Lucifer was right. She gave a silent nod and the two leaders sped in to help their teammates.

Bringing out both her swords, Yui slashed at one of the player's attacking her team. She looked over to Lilly and Naoki. "Go help the race leaders! If any of them die, we'll have a huge incident on our hands!"

The two of them nodded and took off towards the VIP rooms, with Luna transforming into her pixie form and grabbing onto Lilly's shoulder.

Over by Rin, she was trapped in a hand to hand fist fight with her assailant. "You're pretty good."

"You're not half bad yourself." the mystery player replied. "Not many can keep up with me in hand to hand combat."

"Well then, how about you tell me why you're doing all this?"

"Sorry, no can do." he said.

"Oh well." Rin smirked. "Guess I'm just gonna have to beat it out of you." With a swing of her leg, she knocked her opponent off balance. She followed up with a powerful punch that sent her assailant flying back and crashing into the wall by the crowd. The female Salamander cracked her knuckles as she walked forward. "Bad luck for you pal. I'm in a bad mood with my team losing and you seem like the perfect target to let out my rage on."

* * *

The leader of the Imp race, Amethyst, swung her sword up and blocked the slash that came from the player currently trying to kill her. They had been able to bypass through her elite guards so easily, paralyze both her retainers, and leave her to fend for herself.

"I don't know who you are, but you're fooling yourself if you think I'm going down easily." Amethyst said as she swung her sword, only for it to be dodged. "I am the leader of the Imps. Do not take me lightly."

The assailant chuckled as he threw a knife at the Imp leader. She recognized it as the same type of throwing knife that had paralyzed her two retainers. Quickly reacting, she swung her sword upwards and deflected the projectile.

As the knife was sent flying, Amethyst smirked to herself. Out of nowhere though, she felt her body go numb. A paralysis icon was seen on her HUD. "What…? How…?" She glanced at her leg and widened her eyes as she saw a knife lodged into it. ' _The first one he threw was just a distraction. Damnit…'_

Unable to move, Amethyst collapsed onto the floor of the room. Her retainers widened their eyes as the assassin slowly walked up to their leader. "Lady Amethyst!"

"Not happening!" a sudden voice shouted.

The assailant turned their head towards the entrance to the room, only to be greeted with a blow from a sword skill, sending them flying out the room, crashing through the window in the process.

Amethyst widened her eyes at the player that had just saved her life. "You're…"

The player smirked as she looked down at the race leader. "Miku of Team Mighty Five, at your service." She handed a potion for the paralysis to her race leader. "Are you alright, Lady Amethyst."

"Yes, thanks to you." Amethyst said as she drank the potion, regaining movement in her body. "You have my gratitude."

"Don't mention it. It was nothing." Miku grinned. "So who was that guy?"

"I have no idea. I didn't even get a chance to see what race they were from." Amethyst explained.

"I see…" Miku said. "Well the rest of my team and some of our friends should be dealing with the other assailants. This should be all cleaned up soon." The female Imp walked up to the shattered window, looking down at the player she had just blasted out of it. They had fallen into the crowd, lying painfully in the seats. Miku spread her wings and flew down at him. As she neared him, the player quickly cast a spell, clouding the area in a thick smokescreen.

Miku quickly put up her guard as the smokescreen surrounded her. Several seconds passed by before the smoke began to clear. When she could see clearly again, the player was gone without a trace.

"Damnit. They got away." Miku cursed. Looking over at each of the VIP rooms, as well as down by the ring with Team Blazing Firestorm and Team Demise, the situation was the same. Smokescreens were just starting to clear and the group of assassins were all gone.

Haruka blinked in surprise as she looked around the area, seeing it was finally safe again. "W-Well everyone, the assassins seem to have mysteriously disappeared. Everything is safe again."

Yui looked at Rin and Strea. "Are you two alright?"

Both girls nodded their heads. "Yeah, we're fine." Rin said. "But what the heck was that all about?"

"No clue. But it seems like each of the leaders are alive, so whoever those assassins were, their plan failed."

"They sure seemed quick to run once the situation turned against them." Strea said with a grin. "Guess they underestimated us."

"I'm not so sure, Strea." Yui said. In the back of her mind, Yui couldn't help but have a bad feeling about what had just happened.

She just prayed she was worried over nothing.

 **A/N: Seems there's more to the plot than you guys were expecting, huh? Which race or races are responsible for the mysterious assassination attempt? What will happen next? You'll just have to wait until next week to find out.**


	30. Plot in the Shadows

**A/N: Well readers, I think I've kept you in suspense for long enough. It's time to find out which race was responsible for the attack. Enjoy.**

Lilly sighed as she laid on the couch in her family's living room. She scrolled through her tablet, looking at the latest news articles for VRMMOs. There were only a few weeks left for summer and a lot of the joy had been taken from her and her friends when Team Demise had beaten them in the finals of the ALO Annual Tournament.

And then there was all of the events that happened after.

Due to the assassination attempt on each of the race leaders, tensions between fairy races had never been higher. Everyone had their guards up with fingers pointed at each other. This had led to more border skirmishes and whatnot between races. A week had passed since the tournament ended, and now it seemed all of the work that had been put into building the relative peace Alfheim had experienced was suddenly gone.

"Hey Lilly."

Lilly turned her head and saw her sister Rin walk over to her. Neither of the two of them had been overly peppy ever since the tournament ended. Their loss was bad enough, but now Alfheim was changing. And not for the better.

"Mom has lunch ready." Rin said.

"Kay. Thanks." Lilly said as she got up from the couch. The two sisters walked over to the kitchen table where their mother had a sandwich out for each of them.

Alicia smiled at her two daughters. "Dig in, you two."

Rin and Lilly began eating their lunch. As they did, Lilly continued to scroll through her tablet. Rin frowned at her sister. "You know looking at that stuff is just gonna bum you out. All the articles about ALO are talking about its declining state."

A sigh escaped Lilly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." As she prepared to take a bite of her sandwich, she heard her phone ring. She looked at it and saw the person calling her was Yui. Answering the call, Lilly brought the phone to her ear. "Hey Yui. what's up?"

"Lilly, can you and Rin log into ALO?" Yui asked. "There's something going on we all need to talk about."

"What is it?" Lilly asked. As Yui answered her, Lilly's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Seriously?!"

Rin looked at her sister with curiosity as Lilly talked on the phone. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah, we'll be on as soon as we can. See you and the others in a bit." Lilly hung up her cellphone and looked at her sister. "We've got a problem."

"What's going on?" Rin asked.

"Yui just found out there's a meeting between all of the race leaders that's going to be held soon."

"A meeting between the leaders?" she questioned. "Are they going to try and talk about how to get things back to how they were?"

Lilly shook her head. "No, the opposite. They're going to be discussing about going to war."

Rin's eyes widened as she heard this. "War?!"

"None of the leaders are admitting any responsibility to the attacks." Lilly said. "With tensions so high and distrust everywhere, some of the leaders are at their limit." She held her head low. "To be honest, I was afraid this might happen."

"But if all of the races go to war, what's going to happen to Alfheim?!"

"It'll go into utter chaos." Lilly said. "Races will probably ban players outside their race from entering their territory, and anyone that doesn't fight for their race could be considered a traitor."

"They can't do that!" Rin argued. "There has to be a way to stop this!"

"That's why Yui wants to meet up in ALO with everyone." Lilly explained. "She wants us to see if we can figure out a solution."

"Then we don't have a second to waste." Rin said. She looked over at her mother. "Sorry mom, but we-"

"It's alright. Get going." Alicia nodded understandingly. "I'll keep your lunches ready for when you get back."

"Thanks mom. You're the best." Lilly said as she and Rin quickly rushed upstairs.

Alicia showed a smile as she watched Rin and Lilly go off. ' _Good luck, you two. I know you can fix this mess.'_

* * *

The group of Yui, Strea, Rin, Lilly, Naoki, Sayaka, and Tetsuya were gathered together in the living room of the house Yui and Strea used as their base of operations in Coral of New Aincrad. The house had originally belonged to the parents of the Kirigaya siblings, but now it was used by the two of them. Luna sat on Rin's shoulder as the group began to discuss the situation of ALO.

"I can't believe they'd actually consider war." Sayaka frowned. "This is terrible."

"And now players are going to get pressured into fighting for their races instead of having fun playing the game as they want." Tetsuya added.

Luna tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? Can't players play as they wish?"

"It's not that simple Luna." Lilly explained. "If war really does break out, then those that don't fight for their race are going to be seen as outcasts. Dealing with that is hard, so some players might find it better to simply give in and fight for their race."

Luna frowned. "But why would they be so mean to each other? Shouldn't everyone just try to play the game and have fun?"

"Things like peer pressure and mob mentality exist in the virtual world just as much as they do in the real world, unfortunately." Yui sighed.

"Well I say we go up to those idiot leaders and give them a piece of our minds!" Naoki said.

Tetsuya shook his head. "They'd just throw us out. Unless we can tell them who was responsible for the assassination attempts and have proof to back up our claim, they won't care what we have to say."

Yui grimaced as she thought about the dire situation Alfheim was in. She had seen this world for most of its entirety. Back when her father had entered the game to save her mother, the races were at war with each other in an attempt to see who would clear the Grand Quest first. But after those times, ALO had slowly began to grow a bit more at peace, with fairy races only waging battle through friendly competition. She had loved the world Alfheim had grown into. A peaceful place where everyone can enjoy the world happily.

"Lucifer must be loving this." Yui muttered. "That battle-hungry jerk would love to see Alfheim turn into a war zone."

"That's for sure." Rin sighed. "But we can't accuse Team Demise. That group attacked them, just like us."

The group fell into silence, knowing they were at their wits end. They had no real leads to go on, meaning all they could do was grasp at straws.

But Lilly broke the silence with a thought.

"How do we know that?"

All heads turned to the female Cait Sith curiously as she thought to herself. "How do we know Team Demise didn't organize the attack?"

"We just said why. They were attacked by that group." Strea reminded her.

"That's just it though. Why were our two teams targeted during the attack?" Lilly asked.

"What are you getting at Lilly?" Rin questioned.

Lilly looked at all of her friends. "Their goal was to take out the fairy race leaders, right? Then why waste manpower attacking us and Team Demise? If it were me, I would have used all the players I could get to fight the leaders in order to maximize the chances of killing the leaders in the shortest amount of time."

Yui's eyes slowly widened, realizing where Lilly was going with this. "You mean…"

"The players attacking us and Team Demise weren't to keep us from trying to help. They were to cast away suspicion from the true orchestrators behind the attacks!" Lilly realized. "The entire assassination attempt was a fake from the very beginning!"

"Isn't that a bit of a jump in logic though?" Naoki pointed out. "I mean I hate those Team Demise guys too but-"

"Think about it for a second. Everything that's happened ever since the tournament ended has been leading to a full blown war all over ALO. Doesn't that seem a little too perfect for them?" Lilly explained. "They never planned to seriously take out any of the leaders with their attempt. They just wanted to raise tensions and cause the leaders to distrust each other."

"So the perpetrators weren't working for any of the races at all. They just wanted to create a giant war throughout Alfheim!" Sayaka gasped.

"Those… Those big jerkwads!" Strea pouted. "How could they think of doing all this?!"

Yui got up from her seat. "Regardless, we need to get to that meeting. We might be able to convince them with this."

"Don't we need proof though?" Naoki asked.

"There's no time. By the time we can dig up anything definitive, the meeting will be long over." Yui said. "We just need to pray this will be enough."

"Where's the meeting even being held anyway?" Rin asked.

"Give me a sec. I'll find out." Lilly said as she quickly opened her menu. She scrolled through several pages, going through window after window. "There! Found it! It's at the Moonlight Temple. It's an old tower in the neutral zone between the Imp and Undine territory."

"Then that's where we're headed. Let's move out everyone."

"Right!"

* * *

The group sped through the air as fast as they could, going towards the Moonlight Temple. The wind blew their hair back as they made their way to their destination.

"How much further, Lilly?" Naoki asked.

"Not much longer. Another ten minutes I think." the Cait Sith replied.

"The meeting's probably starting soon, if it hasn't started already." Yui said. "We need to hurry."

Even the midair mobs that spawned were instantly left in the dust as the group flew past them. The only thing on their minds was reaching the meeting in time. If they didn't, then there was no telling how bad things would get for ALO and all of the people that played it.

"I hope we're able to convince the leaders." Sayaka said.

"Honestly, I'd say our chances are 50/50 fight now." Yui admitted. "We'll just have to pray that they believe us."

"Actually you're chances are zero. Cause you're not going any further." a sudden voice spoke.

In the corner of her eye, Yui saw an arrow and a rock fly their way. "Move!"

The group quickly flew out of the way as the projectiles barely missed them. Before they could realize what was going on, they quickly found themselves surrounded by players. There were seven in total, but one in particular caught Yui's eye and caused her to glare their way. "Lucifer."

"And the rest of Team Demise too." Rin added, noticing that all members of the group were here. There were eight players surrounding them in total, three of whom none of them had seen before.

"You seem to be in quite the hurry, Team Black Firestorm." Lucifer smirked. "Where could you be off to in such a hurry?"

"To stop this twisted plan you assholes are making." Rin glared. "We won't let you destroy Alfheim."

Lucifer raised a brow. "Destroy? I'm afraid I don't follow you. We're just making Alfheim more exciting."

"So it really was you guys." Tetsuya said. "Well at least now we know for sure."

Greed let out a chuckle. "Those idiot leaders were already so competitive with each other. All we had to do was push them over the edge."

"Well where do you think all that rage is gonna go when they find out you were responsible for the assassination attempts?"

"That's _if_ they find out." Lucifer said. "And I don't think that's happening since you're the only ones that seem to have figured it out."

"Then we'll break past you." Yui told him. "We won't let you stop us."

"Is that so? Do I need to remind you how our little fight went back in the tournament?" Lucifer questioned. "And this time, we have the full Team Demise with us." He motioned towards the three new players. "Allow me to introduce the rest of our little group. Wrath, Envy, and Sloth."

The three players Lucifer had mentioned all caught the notice of the group. The one known as Wrath was a Salamander with crimson red hair and lightweight armor on. He didn't seem to have any weapons on him, and his hands were wrapped in what seemed to be long cloth bandages. A large bulky Gnome was the one Lucifer had identified as Sloth. He had an unamused expression on his face, seeming like he'd rather be taking a nap than be here right now. A heavy looking hammer was strapped to his back. The last one, Envy, was a young Spriggan with a dagger at his waist. He smirked excitedly as he looked at Yui and the others.

"So you guys had three reserves." Lilly realized. "I'm guessing they were involved in the assassination attempts?"

"Very perceptive. The others we had attack the race leaders were simply hired mercenaries. But these three. They could handle even race leaders if it came down to it."

"In other words, you have no chance against us." Wrath smirked.

Yui and the others all stood back to back with Team Demise surrounding them. Tetsuya whispered over to Yui. "What do we do? We don't have time to be sitting around here messing around."

"We need to try and find an opening." Yui said. "But with them surrounding us like this, I'm not sure if we can do it. And Lucifer himself is blocking the direction we need to go."

"Damnit, we have to do something." Rin growled.

Team Demise grinned, knowing they all had the upper hand in this situation. Lucifer gave the signal for his team. "Kill them."

"Not so fast!"

Everyone gasped as a smokescreen suddenly covered the entire area. All of the players were blinded, unable to see two feet in front of their faces.

"What the hell?! Who did that?!" Lucifer yelled.

As Yui and the others all wondered what was going on, a player came into the smokescreen and hovered near them. "Hey guys."

"Miku? Is that you?" Yui asked.

"Yep, now follow me." the Imp girl told them. She quickly descended below, the others following her. They quickly got out of the thick smokescreen and could see again. Miku motioned for them to follow her.

"This way! Hurry!"

The group gave a collective nod and quickly flew on ahead, leaving Team Demise confused and dazed in the smokescreen.

Rin looked over at Miku. "How'd you know we were here?"

"Yui messaged me." Miku explained. "She said you guys figured out Team Demise was behind the assassination attempts. I just had to be there to see you guys screw them over, so I hightailed it over to the place Yui said the meeting was taking place. Seems it's a good thing I came."

Strea nodded her head. "I'll say. You totally saved our butts back there."

Miku let out a giggle. "Well to be fair, that smokescreen wasn't my doing." she admitted. "I brought along a few friends."

As if on cue, two more players came up next to them, flying together with the group. The first was Miku's brother Apollo. The second was one many of them were surprised to see.

Rin gasped at the player with the sibling duo. "Shade?!"

"Yeah, I ran into him on the way here." Miku explained. "I gave him the quick version of the explanation, and he decided to come along. He was the one who used that smokescreen spell."

"Lucky us." Naoki smirked. "We would have been toast without it."

Yui grinned. It was great to have so many reliable friends at their side. She turned her head back towards the smokescreen, expecting to see Team Demise still inside it. What she saw instead was the entire team speeding their way. "Guys, we've got company!"

The group all looked back as they flew and saw the eight Team Demise players all flying their way at top speed. They picked up the pace, but they were closing in.

"We need to do something!" Tetsuya said. "They'll take us out at this rate!"

Yui cursed their luck as they continued to fly away. There was only one solution that came to mind. "Some of us will have to stay behind and keep them busy while the rest of us go on ahead."

"In that case, let me go." Miku said. "I owe Pride a beatdown."

"If Miku's going, then so am I." Apollo told them.

"I'll stay too." Rin decided. "It's time I make up for my loss during the finals."

"Count me in." Lilly said.

"I'll join in too." Tetsuya added. "I didn't get a chance to fight those bastards in the tournament. This is my time to give them a piece of my mind."

Yui nodded her head. "Alright then. Strea, Sayaka, Naoki, Shade, and I will go on ahead. Good luck you guys."

Rin grinned excitedly. "Leave it to us. Those bastards won't know what hit 'em."

Lilly looked at her breast pocket. "Luna, go with Yui and the others."

"What? But Lilly, I-"

"We need you to act as a scout for them, to alert them of any dangers on the way." Lilly explained. "That's something only you can do, Luna."

Luna understood her sister's reasoning and nodded her head. "You got it Lilly. I'll do my best."

"Good. We're counting on you Luna."

Luna flew out of Lilly's pocket and into the pocket of Yui's coat. Yui's group flew on ahead, while the five staying behind all scattered and went in for an attack on Team Demise.

"Splitting up, are you?" Lucifer smirked. "Fine then. But don't think we'll let things go that easily for you."

"These peasants don't even come close to our level." Pride giggled.

"Let's see if you're still saying that after I'm done with you!" Miku yelled as she swooped down at Pride. The female Sylph quickly brought out her rapier to block Miku's incoming attack. Miku's sword slammed against hers, pushing Pride back.

Rin flew in at Lucifer. "This is payback for what you did to Shade and Yui!"

Before Rin could get in close enough to attack Lucifer, Wrath appeared and knocked her away with a powerful kick. "Sorry girl, but you're opponent is me."

Lilly fired a few blasts of her Elemental Pistol at Team Demise, forcing them to scatter. As they did, Apollo attacked Gluttony while Tetsuya went in for an attack at Sloth.

Lucifer growled at the fact that his group had gotten split up from their formation. "It can't be helped. Greed, Envy, Lust, with me! We can't let them reach that meeting!"

"You got it, boss." Greed grinned as he, Envy, and Lust all flew after their leader.

And with that, the battle that would decide the fate of Alfheim began.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked seeing Miku, Apollo, and Shade return for the final battle. I also wanted to give Tetsuya and Sayaka their time in the spotlight since they didn't get a chance to fight in the tournament. These last battles will probably take 3-4 chapters at most, and then move onto the next part of the story. I think you'll all enjoy what I have in store for you.**

 **On a side note, a commission of your favorite psycho path Helios is currently in the works. It should hopefully be done in time for the next update, and if not, then definitely by the one after that. Look forward to it everyone.**


	31. The Fate of Alfheim: Part 1

**A/N: Hello readers. Time for the start of the final battles against Team Demise. Hope you find them exciting.**

 **Guest: Ok, a lot of criticism to go through, but I'll try to address it one at a time.**

 **1) Yes, ALO was always a PvP based game, but the "war" between races deflated a lot after the ALO arc, with the fact that there was less discrimination for players that had left their nations to do there own thing, known as Renegades, and as I stated most of the competition between races was a lot more friendly based and not them trying to assassinate the leaders, as shown when Sakuya, Eugene, and Alicia Rue were able to be together and not be at each other's throats.**

 **2) I admit that there has been little character development for the new characters, but in my defense most of this arc was to introduce some new characters and give some exciting fights. Character development is going to start to happen after this arc, which will be ending soon. I understand your concern though, and it is appreciated.**

 **3) I do admit, I have a bad habit of repeating certain phrases for scenes that happen often. It is something I need to work on, so thank you for bringing it back to my attention. I will try to work on that in the future.**

 **4) I had thought I had addressed this, but looking at past Author's Notes, I see I did not so that is my bad. I'm trying not to go too much for any "life threatening" situations like there were in Blazing Revolution. I'm planning for this story to be more of an everyday life sort of thing for the kids, with arcs every now and then to give something serious happening.**

 **5) This is another problem I face when writing about couples. I tend to have too much good things happen with not enough tension between them at times. Again, I will try to work on it in the future.**

 **I believe that is everything. Thank you for your input. It is appreciated.**

 **Bankerrtx01: I believe most of your criticisms were the same as the other review, other than the GM thing. GMs wouldn't really shut down the servers for the assassination attempt. The light novels have stated that GMs usually let players do their own thing as long as it doesn't do anything that would be too morally wrong (sexual harassment, verbal abuse, etc). Since the assassination attempt didn't really affect the tournament outcome because it was after the finals ended, it's still players "playing the game" so I don't think they'd interfere.**

 **Like I said in the other review, thanks for your input. It is appreciated and will be considered.**

* * *

The sounds of weapons clashing rang throughout the air as four simultaneous battles were occurring. Team Demise, the winners of the ALO Annual Tournament, were now finding themselves battling against the very team they had beat in the finals, as well as some of their friends.

One of those battling was Tetsuya, as he thrusted his rapier forward and pierced his opponent's shoulder, the player who went by the name of Sloth. Tetsuya's quick speed allowed him to quickly attack and get away before Sloth could attack with his massive hammer. The low speed of his opponent was giving Tetsuya the edge.

"Ugh… you're so annoying." Sloth moaned. "Stay still. Buzzing around me like a fly makes you a pain."

"And you guys trying to burn ALO with your stupid ideals makes you a pain for us, so I guess we're even." Tetsuya quipped. He readied himself for another attack. "I didn't get my chance to fight with my friends in the tournament, so I didn't get the chance to take any of you guys down." the male Sylph smirked at Sloth. "Though I guess the same goes for you too."

"Why would I want to enter the tournament?" Sloth asked. "It sounds like so much work."

Tetsuya narrowed his eyes as he looked at him confusingly. "What?"

"Having to fight over and over against weak opponents. It's such a bore." Sloth explained. "Who cares about being crowned champions? Lucifer only did that to make us look good." He covered his mouth and let out a yawn. "Honestly if Lucifer hadn't ordered me too, I wouldn't have even come for this."

Tetsuya suddenly found his body shaking with rage. He had wanted to participate in the tournament. He had wanted it so badly. But his obligations in the real world had kept him from doing so. But here was someone who found the tournament too boring to even compete in. "How dare you… Plenty of players _dreamed_ of being able to fight in that tournament, but weren't able too. The ones that did enter gave those fights everything they had." He glared directly into Sloth's eyes. "How dare you act like the event so many players put their heart and soul into winning was nothing more than a boring waste of time!"

Sloth groaned as he saw the rage in Tetsuya's eyes. "The emotional ones are always the most annoying to deal with. Can't we just fight already so I can kill you?"

"Oh we'll fight alright." Tetsuya said as he sped in with his rapier pulled back. "And I'll wake you up with it!"

* * *

Pride danced in the air as she evaded another slash from Miku and her sword. "Come on fangirl. Haven't you learned any new tricks?"

"You little…" Miku growled as she chased after Pride. She had been wanting a rematch with the female Sylph ever since their encounter in the battle royale of the tournament.

Pride saw Miku coming in with another slash. She quickly brought up her rapier and blocked it, the sound of the clash ringing through the air. The female Sylph giggled teasingly at Miku. "What's the matter? Are your skills as old and stale as the rotten corpse of that Yuuki girl you seem to worship."

"You are so dead, Pride!" Miku yelled furiously. She quickly managed to break Pride's stance and deliver a kick to her stomach. Pride flinched from the attack, and quickly jumped back to get some distance.

Miku chased after Pride, not willing to let her get away. Both girls chanted spells simultaneously. Pride's spell fired a series of needles at her opponent. Miku's spell however gave her a long whip of light, which she used to swat away the projectiles and lash out at the one who fired them. Pride felt the whip strike her as she let out a small cry of pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt as Miku drove her sword into her chest. The female Imp glared furiously at her, pushed to her boiling point.

"I think you need a little lesson in personal space, you peasant." Pride said as she thrusted her rapier forward, stabbing Miku in the shoulder. Miku flinched, but kept her sword impaled in Pride's body. The resilience of the Imp girl infuriated Pride as was forced to shove the girl off. "Maybe you didn't understand, that meant GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Miku was pushed back, her sword being pulled out of Pride. Just as she was about to go back in for another slash, she felt Pride's boot drive itself into her stomach. The air rushed out of her lungs as Pride aimed her rapier for another thrust and the Imp, the thing blade becoming veiled in the light of a sword skill.

Miku cried out in pain as a series of thrusts pierced her in quick succession. She tried to fall back and distance herself to recover, but Pride quickly followed up by using a spell that blasted her with a gust of wind. Miku fell down towards the ground, crashing onto the plains below them.

Pride smirked confidently as she landed on the ground near Miku. "What's the matter? Don't tell me this is all you've got, peasant. I want you to entertain me more."

Miku slowly got to her feet. "Where do you get off… looking down on everyone around you… every single person that isn't on your team…" she said weakly. Suddenly she watched Pride begin to laugh to herself, as if she had just heard some kind of joke. "What's so funny?"

"It's what you said. You think I look at the idiots I work with differently than the rest of you." Pride laughed. The Sylph's lips curved into a cocky smirk. "Besides Lucifer, every single one of them are still peasants in my eyes."

Miku gasped. "What? But… they're your teammates!"

"Teammates?" Pride asked, breaking out into laughter once more. "Please, they're simply people I'm using, nothing more." She shook her head. "My family is going to be able to use the bad publicity ALO will get from this war to our advantage. We'll use it to hype up our own VRMMOs. How does this sound? World of Fairies Engulfed in the Flames of War. Join the Cause or be Thrown into the Dirt. Catchy title, isn't it?"

Miku couldn't believe what she was hearing. All Pride seemed to care about was ruining ALO for her own family's benefit. She didn't even care about the players she had fought alongside until now. Everyone other than herself was dirt in Pride's eyes.

"I won't let you get away with this." Miku said. "My friends and I will stop you." She took her sword and pointed the tip at Pride. "You may think you're better than everyone else, but in the virtual world social status and family backgrounds mean nothing. I'll show you what true strength is."

"Then I'll enjoy beating you into the dirt like the worm you are, peasant." Pride countered. A fierce determination burned in her eyes. ' _That's right… I will prove my worth above these losers…'_

" _This is the best you were capable of? I expected better from my daughter."_

' _No…'_ Pride told herself, pushing the memory away. ' _I am going to show father that I am worthy of the Tatsuro family name.'_

"You know Pride, I just realized something." Miku suddenly said.

Pride narrowed her eyes at the girl. "And what would that be?"

"You keep calling everyone around you peasant and worm and whatnot. At first I was infuriated by you because all I could see was a spoiled rich brat." Miku explained. "But now I see another part from that."

"And what would that be?"

"You're unable to trust a single person around you. You think no one can do anything as well as you can. When you fail, you blame everyone else but yourself, because you don't want to admit that you're not perfect." Miku noticed the shift in Prides' eyes. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Shut up…" Pride growled.

"That's not all." Miku continued. "The fact that you can't trust anyone else means you're all alone. No one to rely on, no one to lean on when things get tough. You shut yourself in your own little world where only you exist. It's quite sad actually. And even though I still hate you, there's now something else I feel towards you."

"Be quiet…"

"Pride… I pity you."

At that moment, something snapped in Pride's mind as she charged at Miku with a furious roar. "DIE YOU DAMN PIECE OF TRASH! DIE AND SHUT THAT WORTHLESS MOUTH OF YOURS!"

Miku quickly brought out her wings and flew away before Pride could slash her. Looking down at the Sylph on the ground, Miku could see the calm and refined face Pride had always shown was suddenly gone. In its place was a face full of rage, as if she was about to explode with anger.

Pride quickly brought out her wings and gave chase to the Imp girl. ' _I won't lose to her. I won't be a disgrace to my family any longer.'_

" _As a Tatsuro, you must always aim to be at the top. Anything less is failure."_

" _You have been unable to do anything for this family. It seems I'll have to start considering others to be the new heir."_

" _I expected more from you. How disappointing."_

"I won't lose…" Pride growled. "I am better than some loser peasant like her!"

Miku flew through the air as Pride chased after her. As Miku turned further upwards and ascended, Pride gave chase, only to find herself blinded by the light of the sun she was currently staring at. ' _Damnit, I can't see!'_

Miku swooped down at Pride, using the light of the sun to her advantage by blinding her opponent. "This is the end, Pride." Miku said as she readied her sword. "This is what a peasant is capable of!"

The sharp edge of Rosario's Legacy cut through Pride, making the Sylph cry out in pain as her HP plummeted down. Only a small portion of it was left.

"I'll kill you!" Pride yelled as stared down at Miku, who could no longer use the sun to her advantage with her being at a lower altitude.

Miku could see from Pride's condition that the fight was over. There was no way left for Pride to win. She was too exhausted and her health was too low. She readied herself to finish the job.

"Hey sis! Heads up!"

Just as Pride was about to fly towards Miku, she suddenly felt something slam into her. The force of the impact sent both Pride and what hit her crashing down into the ground below. Pride moaned on the ground before looking at the player lying on top of her. Gluttony.

Miku looked over at Apollo and Lilly and saw her brother give her a thumbs up. "Looks like we're both wrapped up with our fights."

Miku nodded her head. "Yeah, seems like it."

"Damnit…" Pride growled as she tried to push Gluttony off of her. "Get off me, you fatso!"

Miku looked over at Lilly. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"It'd be my pleasure." Lilly said. She lined up the two Team Demise players as she aimed her Elemental Pistol at them. With a snap of her fingers, a blast of fire shot down and hit both Pride and Gluttony. Pride screamed out in anger as she and Gluttony lost the rest of their HP and turned into remain lights.

"Seems that takes care of that." Miku said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She turned to Apollo and Lilly. "Did your guy give you two any trouble?"

Apollo waved away his sister's concern. "Please, it was one guy against the smartest minds of Blazing Firestorm and Mighty Five. He never stood a chance."

Lilly nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, with my spells and Apollo's strength, it was easy."

"That's good to hear." Miku smiled. "What about the others?"

As if on cue, Tetsuya came flying down past them. The male Sylph fell and crashed into the ground below them. Flying down after him was Sloth with his hammer raised up. Tetsuya groaned as he laid on the ground painfully while Sloth closed in.

"Tetsuya, look out!" Lilly warned.

Lilly's warning snapped Tetsuya out of his daze and he quickly moved out of the way before Sloth's attack could hit him. The impact of Sloth's hammer hitting the ground caused a crater to form.

Tetsuya breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was way too close." He took a look at his health bar. ' _He may be slow, but that hammer of his sure packs a punch. Another hit from that and I'm finished.'_

Sloth raised his hammer back up as he looked over at Tetsuya. "You're an annoying little fly. But you put up a good fight."

"Same to you big guy." Tetsuya said. "It's a shame really. All of you guys on Team Demise are strong. If only you guys had better morals."

"Society's morals are a pain." Sloth said. "I'll just do what I want to do. That's all. And right now, what I want to do is kill you."

"Let's see you try." Tetsuya said.

Both Sloth and Tetsuya charged at each other simultaneously. Sloth began to swing his hammer horizontally, causing Tetsuya to react by ducking under it. Tetsuya grinned when he thought he had dodged it, but he gasped as he saw Sloth's swing suddenly turn and go over the Gnome's head, coming straight down at Tetsuya. Barely jumping back in time, Tetsuya managed to avoid getting hit. He knew this was his chance to end it. Tetsuya sped in with his rapier glowing in a blue light. He stepped over Sloth's hammer and delivered a series of thrusts to the Team Demise member. Tetsuya roared as the last thrust pierced Sloth's head, taking out the rest of his HP. Sloth burned away into a remain light and Tetsuya fell to one knee, exhausted from the fight.

"Tetsuya!" Lilly called out as she descended onto the ground with Miku and Apollo. "You alright?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "Just tired."

"All that's left is Rin." Miku said. "Where is she? Let's go help her out."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Lilly said, pointing over in the distance where Rin was fighting.

Looking in the distance, Rin and Wrath soared through the air clashing over and over again like to out of control comets. Clearly they were both going all out, and the power behind their attacks could almost be felt from where the others were standing.

"Yeah…" Apollo said nervously. "Think I'm just gonna go ahead and steer clear of that."

* * *

Rin flew threw the air, trapped in a fist fight with Wrath from Team Demise. Players that solely used martial arts skills were a rare sight, so Rin hadn't seen many players as skilled as her in martial arts. But Wrath was clearly on the same level as her, if not better.

"You're the player that attacked us at the tournament during the assassination attempt, aren't you?" Rin asked as she swung her leg around for a kick.

Wrath quickly brought his arm up and blocked Rin's kick. "Very perceptive. I have to admit, I'm actually glad to have this rematch with you. We never got to finish our fight last time."

Rin showed a cocky smirk. "Let's see if you're still happy after I wipe the floor with you."

"Bring it on."

The two Salamanders traded blow after blow as they fought midair. Despite what was at stake with these series of battles, both Rin and Wrath found themselves smiling, enjoying the fight. Both of them simultaneously threw a punch. Both of their fists made contact with the other's cheek.

"I don't see many players at your level of skill." Wrath complimented. "Most of the gauntlet users I've fought are muscles brained idiots that can only throw punches randomly."

"It's a nice treat to actually fight someone who really knows their way around martial arts." Rin said in agreement.

Rin and Wrath put some distance between themselves so they could catch their breath. After fighting him for the past few minutes, Rin could tell Wrath was a speed and power fighter, just like her. But one thing she couldn't get her mind around was his lack of weapons. He wasn't even using gauntlets, just his bare hands. Was he neglecting to use them for a slight boost in speed? Or was there another reason?

"You seem like a pretty battle-crazed guy." Rin said. "I'm guessing your reason for wanting this war is the same as Lucifer?"

Wrath let out a chuckle. "Actually Lucifer has another reason for wanting this war. Don't get me wrong, the guy's eager for some good fights to come out of it, but he's got other goals."

"Other goals?" Rin questioned with a raised brow. "And what would those be?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Rin and Wrath both flew at each other as the fight resumed. Wrath threw a punch at Rin, but the female player managed to dodge out of the way. She grabbed Wrath's arm that he had thrown for the punch and swung him around and around. Once she had enough momentum, she threw him upwards. Before Wrath could balance himself out midair, Rin appeared above him and delivered a vicious kick that sent him falling down towards the ground. Rin sped down after him and sent a series of deadly punches to his gut. As she prepared to deliver her final punch, Wrath grabbed Rin's arm and violently threw her to the side as he crashed into the ground. Rin tumbled across the ground and got back up along with her opponent.

"You're not just some player that decided to fight hand-to-hand in the virtual world." Wrath realized. "You've trained in martial arts IRL too, haven't you?"

"What can I say? I had a good teacher." Rin admitted. "I can see the same is true for you too."

Wrath cracked a grin on his face. "It's rare for a player to make me do this." He swiped his fingers down and opened his menu.

Rin eyed Wrath curiously. "What are you doing?"

To answer her question, Wrath equipped something from his menu. The equipment in question was a pair of jet black gauntlets with red studs for the knuckles. Just by looking at them, Rin could tell they were high class equipment.

"Say hello to my Purgatory's Wrath." the male Salamander said. "Fitting name, isn't it?"

Rin smirked, happy to see her opponent was finally going to go all out. "Secret weapon of yours?"

"Something like that." Wrath admitted. "I only like to use these on player's that prove themselves to be worth my time."

"I'm flattered." Rin said. "But you still won't win."

Wrath took his stance and prepared to attack. "I think it's only fair to warn you that only one player has ever managed to force me to use these and win. I think you can guess who that player is."

' _Lucifer…'_ Rin realized.

"You can consider this my way showing respect." Wrath said. He kicked off the ground and charged at Rin. "But now it's time for you to die!"

Rin saw Wrath's right arm become veiled in an orange light as he reeled it back. She knew she couldn't block it and quickly sidestepped to avoid it. She managed to succeed, but the force of the punch created a shockwave that still managed to push her back. ' _That's some serious power.'_

Wrath wasn't letting Rin off easy as he went after her and drove his fist into Rin's stomach. Rin felt the air rush out of her lungs as her HP took a drastic hit. It was followed with a powerful punch to her face, which sent Rin skidding along the ground. The path Rin's body slid along the ground could be clearly seen on the grassy plains.

Rin moaned in pain as Wrath walked over to her. He showed a cocky grin as he looked down at her. "Seems this was the best you could do. Too ba-"

Wrath was cut off as Rin hooked her legs around his left leg out of nowhere. With one swift motion, she knocked him off balance and made him fall over. As he was falling to the ground, Rin began to get back up and delivered a vicious punch to him that sent the male player rocketing back.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on letting my friends down again." Rin said. "I already lost to you Team Demise guys once and I have no intention of doing it again."

"Heh, not bad girl." Wrath said as he stood back up and wiped the dirt from his face. "I have to say, this is the most fun I've had in a long time."

"It's a shame this fight can't go on forever." Rin agreed. "But it's time for us to end this."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

Rin and Wrath both kicked off the ground as they came at each other with all of the power they could muster. Both of Wrath's arms lit up with a red light and they became veiled in flames. He narrowed his eyes though when he saw both Rin's hands and feet light up with a shining violet glow.

' _What is that skill?'_ Wrath asked himself. ' _I don't recognize it.'_

' _This one's for you, mom.'_ Rin silently thought. Both of Wrath's fists hit her, but she dug her feet into the ground and endured it as she sent two swift punches at Wrath. Before Wrath could go in for the next hit of his skill, Rin delivered an uppercut that threw him high into the air. With a powerful flap of her wings, Rin got above Wrath and knocked him back down towards the ground with a powerful kick.

Wrath's back slammed against the ground as his HP fell into the red. Looking up, he saw Rin coming down at him with her fist reeled back for the final hit of her skill.

"Inferno Dragon's Barrage!"

The final punch made contact and hit Wrath with the force of a freight train. The male player's HP fell to zero as he laid defeated on the ground.

As Wrath's avatar began to burn away into a remain light, he had a satisfied smile on his face. "You're now the second person to have defeated me at full power. Congrats."

Soon a small red flame was flickering where Wrath had been just moments ago. Rin fell back and sat down, catching her breath.

"Rin!" a sudden voice called out. Rin looked over to see Lilly and her friends fly over to her. They all landed on the ground near the female Salamander.

"Looks like we beat all of them." Miku said with a grin.

"You were so awesome back there Rin!" Lilly said. "That was mom's OSS, wasn't it?"

Rin nodded her head. "Yeah, it was."

Tetsuya walked up next to Rin. "I'll heal you, give me just a sec." The male Sylph recited a spell and soon restored a bit of his friend's health. Tetsuya wasn't a healer like Sayaka, but he still had some basic healing magic at his disposal. Once Rin and everyone's HP was restored to a safe amount, they all took off flying after their friends.

"I hope Yui and the others are doing alright." Miku said.

"There's no way for us to know." Rin said. "We just have to hope they were able to make it to the meeting."

Impatient to know the fate of their friends, the five players all picked up the pace as they flew at full speed towards the direction the others had gone.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the fights this chapter, including Miku putting Pride in her place and Rin unleashing the Inferno Dragon's Barrage finally. Also, as some of you may remember from last week, I was able to get a commission of Helios done, thanks to Deviljho's Hatred. If you want to see how it turned out, check it out on my Favorites page for my deviantart account (The-Sib).**

 **If you like it, be sure to comment on it to let the artist know his work is appreciated.**


	32. The Fate of Alfheim: Part 2

**A/N: Hey readers. Before the chapter starts, I have an exciting piece of news to share with you all. The next SAO game has finally been announce, SAO: Fatal Bullet. As the name implies, this one will take place in GGO. The trailer is out and I highly suggest all of you SAO fans watch it. It looks awesome. The game will be coming out early 2018 so I hope you're all as excited as I am.**

 **Helios: Well it looks like it's finally time.**

 **Sinon: Let's settle this once and for all.**

 **Me: Umm... guys? No fighting please. *Looks back at readers* Sorry, I'm gonna be awhile here. You all have fun reading the chapter.**

Yui and her friends flew through the air as fast as they could. Up ahead of them was a series of stone pillars. Once they passed through the zigzag maze it created, they'd be close to the meeting place of the nine race leaders.

"We're getting closer everyone! Don't slow down!" Yui said. She had never recalled flying this fast in her entire life. Their speed was so fast that the wind blowing in her face was starting to bother her eyesight. But she couldn't afford to slow down with Lucifer and his friends closing in on them.

Ever since they had left Rin and the others behind, the remaining members of Lucifer's group had been firing waves of spells at them every few minutes. Each time, the distance between Yui's group and them drew even closer.

Shade glanced back to judge the distance between them and Team Demise. "It's been a bit since their last long range spell assault. Another one's probably coming soon.

"If they attack us again, they won't have any problem closing the distance between us." Naoki pointed out.

"What do we do sis?" Strea asked.

Yui thought to herself. They could try to lose them in the stone pillars, but there was no doubt a few of them would still make it out. And if they all fought them, then there'd be no one to go on towards the meeting.

' _What do I do?'_ Yui asked herself. ' _What would you have done Dad? Mom?'_

Strea saw the turmoil going on in her sister's expression. The female Gnome sighed to herself. "Guess there's no helping it. You guys ready?"

"Of course." Naoki grinned.

Shade nodded his head. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You go on ahead Yui." Strea said. "Leave these jokers to us."

"Strea?!"

"We don't have time to argue." Strea told her. "One of us needs to get to that meeting, and it's going to be you. We'll stall these guys for as long as we can."

"Don't worry about us." Sayaka assured her. "We believe in you Yui."

"Guys…" Yui gasped.

"Yui, there's one thing you need to keep in mind." Strea said to her sister, her tone growing serious. "We can try to stall these guys, but Lucifer is going to be a problem. If he breaks through, there won't be anyone else left to stay behind and help you. You know what that means."

Yui knew all too well what her sister was trying to say to her. ' _It means there's a chance I'll have to fight Lucifer again. And if I lose, there'll be a lot more consequences than losing a tournament.'_

"Get ready. We'll ambush them in the stone pillars." Strea told the group.

The others nodded as they all flew into the area. The swerved around, avoiding the stone pillars one after another. Finally they all split up.

' _Good luck you guys.'_ Yui silently prayed as she and Luna went on ahead.

Lucifer and his team flew after Yui's group, going into the maze of stone. They kept their eyes peeled for their targets, desperate to find and eliminate them. As they continued flying around the pillars, they still saw no sign of Yui or the others. They could only assume the many pillars were blocking their vision of them.

Suddenly, Lucifer heard a small sound. He glanced upwards and widened his eyes. "Above us!"

Team Demise quickly spread out and avoided the hail of icicles coming down at them. As their formation was split apart, Lucifer noticed Strea flying down at him.

"You're not going anywhere you big jerk!" Strea yelled as she prepared to drive her sword through Lucifer.

Lucifer let out a small chuckle at the female Gnome's attempt to strike him down. In a smooth motion, he dodged Strea's attack and got above her. Strea didn't even have time to react as Lucifer kicked her in the back, sending her flying into one of the stone pillars. He took off after Yui as Strea recovered from the hit.

' _Damnit, I can't let him get away.'_ Strea thought to herself. Before she could go after him though, the Spriggan that Lucifer referred to as Envy came at her with his dagger. Strea flew away and tried to lose her attacker, but Envy's speed far outmatched hers. Left with no other option, Strea flew up to the top of the pillars, landing on one of them. Envy soon appeared, standing across from her on the top of the pillar Strea was on.

"Heh, my opponent's a girl? My brother would love to trade places with me right now I bet." Envy chuckled.

"Your brother?" Strea questioned.

To explain, Envy pointed over in the distance, where Shade was currently fighting against Greed, the two of them clashing in the air. "That freaking lady killer's probably pissed about having to fight a guy."

Strea gasped as she put the pieces together. "No way…"

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Envy smirked.

"So you mean…"

"That's right."

"Shade's your brother?!"

Envy stared at Strea blankly before face palming himself. "No, not Shade you dumb bimbo! Greed! I said lady killer!"

Strea shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I could see Shade secretly being a ladies man." She looked closely at Envy. "Although… can't say the same for you. You look kinda young to be dating. What are you, eleven?"

Envy rolled his eyes at the girl. "You won't be thinking I'm so little when I wipe the floor with you."

Strea readied her sword. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play around with you. I'm gonna have to make this quick so I can help my big sis."

"Is that so? Some sister she is, leaving you behind to die."

"It's because we trust each other. You'll see for yourself once this is over."

The fight started as Envy sped at Strea. His small size allowed him to move around quickly, attempting to confuse Strea with his movements. Strea held her stance as she tried to keep her eye on Envy. As he closed in, Envy sped past Strea, delivering a cut to her waist in the process. Envy quickly sped back to deliver another slash, but Strea anticipated this as she swung her sword down behind her to strike him down. Envy quickly leaped to the side, avoiding Strea's sword before going back and delivering another slash at the girl.

' _He's tricky. I can't afford to let my guard down.'_ Strea told herself.

"You won't be able to hit me that easily!" Envy grinned as he sped around Strea, delivering cut after cut with his dagger. Each hit brought down a little more of Strea's HP. Finally, Envy went for a strike at her back. "Time to die!"

"Gotcha!" Strea said with a smirk as she quickly turned around and held her sword up, blocking Envy's dagger. The Spriggan gasped as Strea swept at his legs, knocking him off balance. Strea then swung her sword down at him. "Take this!"

The sword struck down Envy and slammed him into the ground, creating a big shockwave. He looked up at his HUD and saw almost a third of his HP had been taken out.

"You may be fast, but you can't handle too many hits from a powerhouse like me." Strea giggled.

Envy glared at Strea as he jumped away from her. "You may act all sweet and innocent, but you're clearly no weakling. You're just like my stupid brother."

"Hey, I resent that!" Strea argued. "I mean, I'll take the sweet and innocent compliment, but I am not that pervert Greed!"

"Maybe not, but you're just as annoying as him." Envy said.

Strea tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

"That damn brother of mine acts so pompous!" Envy yelled. "He gets everything! Girls, grades, even the attention of my parents! He gets everything while I get nothing! And what's worse is that he knows it and doesn't even care!" The young Spriggan shook his head. "But hey, I guess we're similar in that regard. You've got that sister of yours. She's your leader that went on ahead, right? She's got to be almost as much of a stuck up prick as my brother."

"Shut up."

Envy blinked his eyes in surprise. "Huh?"

"Don't you dare say stuff like that about my big sister!" Strea yelled. "Yui's an awesome sister!"

"Oh? And what about you? Don't you hate having to have her take the spotlight as leader? I bet she acts like she's better than you in the real world too."

Strea looked down at the ground. "It's true that Yui's amazing. She excels in so many things, both real and virtual."

It was true. Ever since Yui had been given her human body and lived in the real world with Strea, she had seen Yui as someone who always seemed to be ahead of her. She was smarter in school, a better swordswoman in the virtual world. And even though she knew her parents didn't mean to, they seemed to give Yui just a little more attention than they did for her. But despite all that, there was one important thing she knew.

"Yui's not like how you think she is though, Envy. She's never once acted like she's better than me. She's always there for me, and I'm there for her. The two of us are a pair, and we both love each other." She lifted her head and glared at Envy. "Anyone who insults Yui is gonna have to answer to me!"

"Grr… you're fooling yourself and you know it!" Envy said as he sped at Strea.

Strea quickly swung her sword up, parrying Envy's attack. She rushed at him and slammed her shoulder against him, knocking the Spriggan back. He tumbled along the ground painfully.

"Damn you…" Envy growled.

Strea held her sword at the ready. "So, you want to keep going? Or are you gonna get out of my way?"

"As if. No way am I losing to you."

"Fine then." Strea said. "I'll just have to force my way past you."

Just as the two players were about to charge at each other again, another player crashed onto the pillar, interrupting the fight. As the dust cloud cleared, they could make out Greed picking himself up off the ground.

"Freaking ninja bastard." Greed grumbled.

Shade descended on the pillar, landing near Strea. "You're spell makes you pretty versatile. But what you have in versatility, you lack in power. You're unable to fully master your weapons."

"What's the matter Greed? Having trouble beating one guy?" Envy asked in a condescending tone.

"Oh like you're one to talk. I can see you're getting your butt kicked even more than I am." Greed retorted.

Envy spare a small glare towards his brother. "I have a plan to fix that."

"Oh? Well now would be a damn good time to use it, bro."

"Fine." Envy said. He raised his hand up and chanted out a spell. When he finally finished, his left hand was glowing with a bloody red aura.

Greed looked at his brother curiously. "The hell is that?"

"A little secret weapon I've been saving." Envy smirked.

A grin came to Greed's face as he looked back at their two opponents. "Well then, let's see if you can make yourself useful and help us win this."

"Oh, I'll be sure to." Envy said as he put his dagger away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a throwing knife. In the blink of an eye, everyone gasped as he twirled it around in his hand and plunged it into Greed's back.

As the knife impaled him, Greed felt his body go numb and he fell over. "Envy… what the hell… you bastard…"

Envy grinned madly as he stood over his older brother. "Not so tough now, are you bro? You think you're so cool, but you're such an arrogant dumbass."

"You stupid brat… You'd really have us lose this fight just to do this?" Greed asked.

"Lose the fight?" Envy asked. "I think you misunderstand. I plan on winning this." He reached out his hand that was glowing red and touched Greed with it. "And you're going to be the one being used by me this time."

"You damn little…"

"Everything you've taken from me." Envy glared. "Mom and dad's attention. My stuff. Even the first girl I ever had a crush on. She didn't even look at me, but thought you were some kind of god! Well I'm taking something from you now!"

Greed gasped as he slowly felt his strength fade away. At the same time, the aura from Envy's hand began to spread up his arm and around his body. A mad grin came to the boy's face.

"Hehehehe… Hahahahaha!" Envy laughed. "I can feel it! My entire body overflowing with power!" He looked over at Strea and Shade standing across from him. "I even have enough power to destroy both of you at once."

"Go ahead and try it." Strea challenged.

Envy smirked at Strea. "If you insist."

With speed that far outmatched his movements earlier, Envy sped at Strea and Shade. The two barely managed to react in time and dodge as Envy swung his dagger down. As they jumped away, they saw a small indent in the ground where Envy had just attacked.

"His stats just got a major boost." Strea gasped.

"We have to be careful." Shade said. "He's going to be a tough opponent to beat the way he is now."

Envy laughed as he slowly walked towards his two opponents. He seemed like a predator toying with its captured prey. "Hahaha, you can't beat me. I'm invincible."

Strea's grip on her sword tightened. "You just stabbed your own teammate in the back. And what's worse, he's your brother. How could you do that?!"

Envy scoffed at Strea's words. "Spare me the lecture. We may be related by blood, but there's not a single person in this world I hate more than him." He grinned madly. "I will stand on top! I will kick my brother off his high throne and stomp him into the dirt where he belongs!" Envy pointed a finger at Strea. "I bet you feel the same, don't you?! Having a sibling that's always standing above you is the worst! Don't you want to swap places with them for even a-"

"I've heard enough." Strea said, interrupting the Spriggan. She glared down at Envy. "Let me show you how a real sibling behaves."

"Oh really?" Envy asked, taunting her to attack. "Bring it on."

Shade readied himself. "I'll be the diversion and draw his attention. You attack when an opening arises." With a flap of his wings, Shade swooped down at Envy.

"Oh so the wannabe ninja wants to die first? Fine then." Envy readied himself as Shade came down at him.

Shade swung his katana down at Envy, but Envy easily blocked it using his dagger thanks to the massive boost in strength he had. Envy proceeded to deliver a painful kick to Shade, knocking him away. As Shade rolled along the ground, he threw a small round object at Envy. As it landed near him, Envy widened his eyes when it exploded into a thick smokescreen.

' _A smoke bomb?! He really is acting like a freaking ninja!'_ Envy thought as he grew increasingly annoyed.

Out of nowhere through the smoke, Envy felt Shade's presence. Shade's figure became clear just as he was right in front of him.

' _Gotcha!'_ Envy thought with a grin as he went in for a strike at Shade. His eyes widened however when he recognized Shade's stance. ' _It's that move he used in the tournament! Damnit!'_

"Shadow Illusion Slash!" Shade yelled as he cut through Envy's avatar, making the boy cry out in pain as his HP dropped drastically. Shade called out to Strea. "Now! Finish it!"

"Raaaaaaahhh!" Strea came down from above and swung her sword down at Envy in the process. She gasped however, when Envy blocked the sword with a combination of his dagger and holding part of the blade back with his free hand.

' _He's holding my sword back?! No way!'_

"You are really starting to irritate me!" Envy yelled angrily. With a powerful motion of his arm, He threw Strea into the ground near him. As she laid painfully on the ground, he thrusted his dagger down at her head. "Now die!"

Thinking quickly, Strea let go of her sword and used both arms to hold back Envy's dagger, gripping his arm and pushing back with all her might.

Strea gritted her teeth as she dug deep to hold Envy back. "I promised Yui I'd stop you guys here." Using all of her strength, she twisted Envy's wrist and managed to throw him off balance. "And I intend to keep my promise to her!"

Envy felt the air rush out of his lungs as Strea delivered a kick straight to his gut. Strea then grabbed her sword and slashed him, taking out even more of his HP. Strea got to her feet and stood in front of Envy, who could feel the effects of his spell starting to slip away. "I'm not like you, Envy. I don't need to be on top. Yui's there for me, and I'm there for her. That's enough."

"SHUT UP!" Envy roared as he lunged at Strea. There was nothing he could do though as Strea sidestepped his attack and ripped her sword through his avatar. Envy let out one final cry of pain as his body burned away into a remain light.

With her fight over, Strea sheathed her sword onto her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Phew, that sure wasn't easy."

Over by the edge of the pillar, Greed let out a chuckle. "Heh, serves that brat right." He suddenly felt the sharp edge of steel against his neck.

"Perhaps he wouldn't be that way if he had a better sibling looking out for him." Shade said as he sliced Greed's head off with one quick slash. The Leprechaun burned away into a remain light as well as Shade sheathed his katana.

* * *

Lust giggled as she danced through the air with Naoki chasing after her. She and the male Salamander had been locked in combat for the past minute or so, but Naoki had still failed to land a hit on her.

"Come on boy, are you that afraid to get up close and personal with me?" Lust asked with a teasing giggle.

' _Damnit, she's a slippery one.'_ Naoki thought to himself.

Lust swooped down at Naoki, ready to attack him with her spear. Naoki slashed at her with a powerful swing of his sword, but Lust maneuvered her body to have the sword move right past her. With her opponent fully exposed, Lust thrusted her spear forward and took out a chunk of Naoki's HP. She pulled her spear out and moved away as Naoki's second slash came. As Naoki wondered where she was, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

"Come now, why don't we forget this silly fight?" Lust asked as she playfully rubbed under the Salamander's chin. "Why don't you join us, big guy? If you do, I'll give you a night to remember."

Naoki swung his body around and shook Lust loose from him. "Sorry, not interested."

"Look if this is because of what we're trying to do to Alfheim-"

"It's not just that. I'm just not interested in girls like you."

Lust stared blankly at Naoki and blinked in surprise. "...Am I really get rejected by the pervert of all people?"

"Hey, I may be a pervert, but I don't mess with the crazy ones. That's the basic of basics." Naoki explained.

"I'll take that as a complement." Lust smirked. She moved a hand down her body, drawing special attention to her chest and rear. "It's the crazy ones that know how to put on the best shows after all."

Naoki stood ready to continue the fight. Suddenly he felt a refreshing aura wash over him. Looking at his HUD, he saw his health recover.

"I've got your back, Naoki." Sayaka said from behind him, showing she was the one to cast the healing spell just now. "You just take her down and don't worry about your HP."

Naoki gave the Undine a thumbs up. "Thanks Sayaka. You rock."

Lust glared in the direction of Sayaka. Fighting a tank meant she couldn't deal much damage and would have to slowly work on wearing him down. Having to deal with a healer on top of that was going to be annoying.

With a flap of her wings, the Pooka girl sped towards Naoki. She twirled her spear as she closed the distance between them.

"Not this time!" Naoki yelled out as he swung his blade. To his surprise, Lust evaded his slash yet again. But this time, she didn't attack him. Instead, she flew past him and directly at Sayaka.

"Sayaka!" Naoki exclaimed.

Sayaka gasped as Lust came at her. Before she could move, Lust delivered a painful kick that knocked the Undine into the side of a stone pillar. Lust then drove her spear into Sayaka's shoulder, making the girl cry out in pain.

"Ugly losers like you should stay out of the way." Lust smirked. "This is what happens to those that get in my way."

Sayaka struggled to break free, but Lust had her pinned tightly against the pillar. Her HP gradually continued to fall.

"Get away from her!" Naoki yelled. Lust turned her head to see him flying at her, and she removed her spear just in time to get away. Naoki looked at his friend. "You ok, Sayaka?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks Naoki."

"Leave her to me. You work on healing yourself." Not even giving Sayaka time to respond, Naoki flew up and chased after Lust.

Lust giggled teasingly as she flew around the maze of pillars. "I wasn't aware you wanted me all to yourself. I'm not sure I'm okay with being tied down to just one guy."

Naoki relentlessly chased after Lust, twisting and turning through the pillars. As he passed around one pillar, he lost sight of the girl. He looked around desperately for her in every direction. Just as he was about to look up, a swift kick came down from above. Naoki fell towards the ground far below. As he plummeted down, Lust drove her spear into him, taking out even more of his HP.

Lust smirked confidently as she pushed Naoki down towards the ground. She seemed confused however, when Naoki smirked back at her. "Thanks for having your spear stuck in me. Now let's see how well you dodge my sword."

Lust gasped as Naoki managed to swing his sword at her. The large blade ripped through her, taking out a large portion of her health. She growled in frustration as she flew back up.

"You're not getting away from me this time!" Naoki called out as he flew after her.

As Lust flew away, she began to chant out a music spell, her melodious voice echoing through the air. Naoki figured she was using Pooka's specialty support musical magic to buff herself. Little did he know that Lust had something else in mind.

' _Let's see how you deal with this.'_ Lust thought to herself.

Suddenly, Naoki felt his mind begin to go hazy. His vision became clouded and he couldn't think straight. Everything around him slowly became blanketed in a white fog. ' _The hell? What's going… on…'_

Lust continued to sing, seeing the Salamander become dizzy and confused. ' _You may be a tank, but even you won't survive after I'm done with you. My specialty song Siren's Oath will make sure of that. As long as I keep singing, you'll stay oblivious to everything around you. I'll chip away at your health and kill you before you even know your life's in danger.'_ She slowly hovered over towards Naoki, twirling her spear as she did so. A violent thrust came and pierced Naoki's shoulder. The male Salamander didn't even seem to notice the pain, completely entranced by Lust's singing.

Another thrust came, and another one after that. Bit by bit she pierced Naoki's avatar, dragging his HP down into the red. Another one would end it.

Lust readied her weapon for the final attack. ' _This is the end. Goodbye.'_

Just as Lust was about to thrust her spear forward, she suddenly got hit with a painful blow to the head. Sayaka slammed her staff down on Lust. "Leave him alone! And while you're at it, stop dressing like a slut!"

The painful hit to her head cut off Lust's singing and made her hold her head in pain. With her singing gone, Naoki finally came back to his senses. "Sayaka… What are you-" Naoki cut himself off as all of the pain from Lust's stabs came rushing all at once. "Ow! The hell happened to me?!"

"Ow! That hurt, you damn bitch!" Lust yelled out, still feeling the pain ringing in her head. She turned her attention to Sayaka and gave her a furious glare. "You'll pay for that one."

Just as Lust was about to lunge at Sayaka, Naoki came up behind her and grabbed her from behind, restraining her.

"Sayaka, hurry and hit her with a spell that'll freeze her!" Naoki shouted as he struggled to hold on.

"What?! But Naoki, if I do that, you'll-"

"Just do it! Hurry!" Naoki yelled.

"Gah! Let go of me!" Lust said angrily as she tried to break free.

Sayaka backed away and began chanting a spell. When she finished, a blast of ice shot out from her staff and hit Lust and Naoki, freezing them both together. The ice encased their wings and the two began to plummet towards the ground far below.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Lust yelled out. "You'll get hurt just as much as I will at this rate!"

"That's the plan." Naoki smirked. "I figure a fall from this height would probably take out at least half of my HP if I was at full health. Considering I'm a tank, I wonder how much damage it'd do to you."

Lust struggled to break free, but the ice encased the two of them together. Combined with Naoki's hold, there was no way for her to get out of her predicament. Speaking of Naoki's hold, she had soon realized where's Naoki's hands were as she looked down at her chest. "Are you…"

"What can I say? I'm a pervert."

"DAMN YOU!" Lust shouted as she and Naoki fell to the ground together, out of sight of Sayaka.

"Naoki!" Sayaka exclaimed as she flew down after the two. When she finally reached the ground, the two players were gone. In their place were a pair of remain lights.

Sayaka quickly chanted a revival spell. When she finished, Naoki's remain light swirled around and turned back into the Salamander.

Naoki stretched to loosen his stiff shoulders. "Damn, that hurt more than I was expecting."

"Are you alright, Naoki?" Sayaka asked.

"Well I just fell roughly twenty stories, so I suppose I'm as fine as can be expected from that." he said. "Thanks again though, Sayaka. You really saved my butt back there when you stopped her spell."

"Wh-What?! O-Oh, that was nothing." Sayaka stuttered.

"Heh, looks like you're back to being the same nervous girl you always are." Naoki chuckled. "Well then, let's go catch up with the others."

Sayaka nodded her head as she and Naoki took off into the sky. They could only hope the others were had managed to win like they had.

* * *

Yui sped through the sky, finally past the maze of stone pillars. She flew as fast as her wings would allow her. It was a good thing Alfheim didn't have speeding ticket, or she'd almost definitely be pulled over right now.

"Luna, how much further is it?" Yui asked.

Luna poked her head out from Yui's breast pocket. "I estimate the Moonlight Temple will be visible in roughly two minutes and thirty-seven seconds at this speed."

"Got it." Yui nodded. She continued to fly as fast as she could, praying she would be able to convince the race leaders to stop this war. At the back of her mind, she also worried for the safety of her friends. ' _Everyone… please be safe.'_

Suddenly a voice called out from behind Yui. "And where do you think you're going, Black Swordswoman?"

Yui gasped as she looked behind her, seeing Lucifer catching up with her. She cursed her luck, realizing that Strea and the others hadn't been able to keep him at bay. The fact that the other members weren't with him though told her that her friends had at least managed to hold them back. That in itself was lucky enough she supposed.

' _It seems I've got no choice.'_ Yui thought to herself. ' _If I'm going to stop this war, then there's one last player I have to defeat.'_

The female Spriggan stopped flying and came to a halt. Lucifer soon stopped as well, a confident grin on his face. "You actually had me worried there for a bit, Black Swordswoman. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to catch up to you in time."

Yui stayed silent, her back to Lucifer.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something? One of your cheesey heroic speeches?"

Still, Yui stayed silent.

"Are you scared, Black Swordswoman?"

Finally, Yui reached for her two swords. She slowly unsheathed them before turning around to face Lucifer. The player that had started this whole ordeal.

"I'm not scared of you, Lucifer. Not anymore." Yui said as she pointed one of her blades at the Imp. "I'm taking you down."

 **A/N: It's finally time for the rematch between Yui and Lucifer. Next chapter is when everything will be decided. Look forward to it everyone. And be sure to check out the trailer for Fatal Bullet.**


	33. The Fate of Alfheim: Part 3

**A/N: Hey readers. Time for the final battle you've all been expecting. Here it is.**

The stillness of the air hung as Yui and Lucifer stared each other down. The last time they had fought was at the ALO Annual Tournament. In the end Lucifer had won. As much as Yui hated the fact that she lost to someone as despicable as the Imp in front of her, she had no excuses. She had lost fair and square. But that wouldn't be the case this time. There was too much riding on this fight.

"I'll admit, you've given me and my friends much more trouble than I thought you would." Lucifer said. "But this is where your meddling ends. Soon, this world will be changed forever. It'll become a much more beautiful place."

"You really love war that much?" Yui asked. "You want to send Alfheim into a giant warzone all for your sick enjoyment?"

A chuckle escaped Lucifer. "Ah yes, that was the reason I gave, wasn't it? Well it's not false really? But at the same time, it's not entirely true."

Yui narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Tell me, what is the main selling point of VR games?" Lucifer questioned. "It's that players can move their bodies as they play. It gives us a world that is an escape from the limits of the real world."

"What's your point?"

"In a VR world, one is completely free to let loose and enjoy themselves in ways that would normally be considered wrong in the real world. For example, killing and bloodshed is perfectly acceptable here." Lucifer held his arms out towards the sky. "That is why I love the virtual world! I'm free to fight and kill to my heart's content! But of course, there are still restrictions, even in a place like this. For example, the many players that treated me like a monster when I destroyed that weakling Shade."

"What you did to him was beyond cruel." Yui glared. "You-"

"What I did was have fun. Simply that. Nothing more." Lucifer said. "People resent such actions, yet if they had the same level of strength, a majority of them would probably do the same given the chance. It's hypocritical beyond belief. That's why I will burn down such notions with this war. In a war, anything goes. Even dirty tactics and things that would usually be considered 'wrong' become commonplace and accepted, so long as it brings victory."

Yui couldn't believe what she was hearing from Lucifer. "So you mean…"

"I refuse to rise to the level of those hypocritical fools. So instead, I'll bring them down to my level instead." Lucifer explained with a malicious grin. "Once this war begins, no one will be able to criticize players letting their full primal instincts take over. It's human nature to destroy and conquer after all."

Yui glared at Lucifer. "You're insane."

Lucifer let out a small chuckle. "I'm simply obeying my human nature. If anything, I'm simply being more human than a wannabe hero like you."

Yui felt her body shake with rage. She had seen plenty of Lucifer's so-called 'human nature' before. Back when she was the Mental Health Counseling Program of Sword Art Online, she had seen so many people turn into vicious killers, or worse. Some even killed in self-defense and the guilt of such actions slowly ate away at them. She was forced to sit and watch as so many innocent people changed for the worse. Had it not been for the two players she considered to be her parents, she didn't even want to know what would have happened to those players, or even herself.

"Call me a wannabe hero if you wish." Yui said. "But I've seen more of the human heart's darker half more than I care to admit. And I won't let you have that darkness destroy the world Alfheim has become." Yui readied herself to fight. "Time to settle this Lucifer. The Demon King of Darkness versus the Wannabe Hero of Alfheim."

"Bring it on."

Yui flew at Lucifer with a fierce glare of determination burning in her eyes. She began her assault by thrusting one of her swords forward. Lucifer easily dodged by moving to the side, but his eyes widened as Yui already had her second sword beginning to swing at him from where he was. Lucifer quickly brought his sword up and blocked the slash, Yui's sword pushing down on his own.

As the two players stayed locked in a stalemate, Yui thrusted her free blade forward once more. Acting quickly, Lucifer rotated vertically, getting above Yui and swinging his leg down for an axe kick. Lucifer's boot slammed against Yui's head, knocking her down a bit. When she recovered from the dizziness in her head, she looked up at Lucifer, who was smirking down at her from above.

"If this is the best you can do, you have no chance at beating me." Lucifer chuckled. "Come now. Show me that drive you had to win at the finals of the tournament."

Yui charged back at Lucifer. She prepared to swing her blade at him, but Lucifer was ready for her. He was about to intercept the attack, but his eyes widened in surprise when Yui suddenly moved around him, and positioned herself above Lucifer while swinging her two swords around in a circular motion. Both blades cut into Lucifer's avatar, making the Imp flinch from the hit slightly as his HP fell.

Yui showed a grin as she looked at Lucifer. "You should be careful. Run your mouth too much and you'll lose this fight for sure."

"My apologies. I'll be sure to wait until I've ripped my sword through that avatar of yours a few more times." Lucifer retorted.

Both Yui and Lucifer flew at each other simultaneously. Yui swung her left-handed sword down, but Lucifer parried the slash away. Yui then thrusted the blade in her right hand at her opponent. Lucifer matched her as he proceeded to skid his own blade along hers, stabbing Yui in the shoulder.

"Tell me, how does it feel to let down all of the people that put their faith in you?" Lucifer asked with a smirk.

"I wouldn't know. You tell me." Yui retorted.

Lucifer's blade lit up with an azure blue glow. At the same time, Yui's Myslteinn gained an orange glow. Both players simultaneously activated a sword skill. Their blades clashed over and over, with each one showing all of the power the two players had to offer. Neither one had managed to land a hit with their skills, but they didn't give in.

' _Let's see how you handle this.'_ Yui silently thought as she pulled her blade back, the weapon gaining a violet glow.

Lucifer saw what Yui was planning and grinned to himself. ' _That special skill of yours, Black Swordswoman? Well then, I'll be happy to respond in kind.'_

"Mother's Rosario!" Yui shouted as she performed the eleven-hit skill. As her sword pierced through Lucifer's body, the Imp activated his own sword skill. His blade slashed Yui consecutively seven times, the sword skill Deadly Sins.

Lucifer's last slash came at the same time as the final thrust for Mother's Rosario. Once both players felt the stun delay wear off from them, they each clashed blades yet again. Both pressed their swords against each other, using every ounce of their strength to break through the other's defenses. Eventually the duo, broke up their stalemate and distanced themselves from each other.

Both Lucifer and Yui were nearing their limit. They each had barely any HP left, and the fight would be decided with the next few moves.

As they both caught their breath, Lucifer noticed Yui look at him and smirk. The Imp narrowed his eyes at her. "You sure seem to be enjoying yourself, Black Swordswoman."

"What can I say? It's rare for someone to push me so far." Yui told him.

"You sound like you would enjoy the battlefield of war quite a lot. Why do you reject such a world?"

"It's quite simple." Yui told him. "It's true, there's nothing that gets my heart racing like a good fight. Being forced to go all out against an opponent is thrilling." The female Spriggan shook her head. "But even more than that, I love the beauty of this world. Being able to explore it freely in its entirety, sharing that experience with friends, it's the best feeling in the world."

"Such naivety." Lucifer sighed with a shake of his head.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." Yui said. "But since I answered your question Lucifer, why don't you answer mine?"

Lucifer raised a brow. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"Why did you organize the attack at the tournament on the fairy race leaders?"

The Imp narrowed his eyes at Yui. "What do you mean? It was to escalate the tension between the leaders and get them to start a war. You know about this, so why are you asking?"

"You're right. I did know." Yui said. Slowly, Lucifer noticed her smirk growing wider as she pointed her blade in his direction.

"But _they_ didn't."

Not understanding what she meant, Lucifer turned around, only to be met with a surprise. Seeing what was before him, he instantly realized the reason for Yui's smirk earlier.

Every single one of the race leaders were together, looking at him with a collective glare.

"Lucifer." Amethyst said with a layer of ice behind her voice. "Would you care to repeat your answer to that question just now?"

Lucifer was left speechless at the sight of the race leaders. "I-Impossible… how…"

His question was soon answered as a small pink dot flew out in front of the race leaders. Lucifer gasped as Luna looked at him and stuck her tongue out at him mockingly.

"The Navigation Pixie?!"

Yui grinned at Luna, glad that she had completed the mission she intrusted to her. "Good job, Luna."

* * *

 _-A few minutes earlier-_

" _And where do you think you're going, Black Swordswoman?"_

 _Yui gasped as she looked behind her, seeing Lucifer catching up with her. She cursed her luck, realizing that Strea and the others hadn't been able to keep him at bay. The fact that the other members weren't with him though told her that her friends had at least managed to hold them back. That in itself was lucky enough she supposed._

' _It seems I've got no choice.' Yui thought to herself. 'If I'm going to stop this war, then there's one last player I have to defeat.'_

' _But I do have another option to help me.'_

 _The female Spriggan stopped flying and came to a halt. Lucifer soon stopped as well, a confident grin on his face. "You actually had me worried there for a bit, Black Swordswoman. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to catch up to you in time."_

 _Yui had her back to Lucifer. Quietly, she whispered while glancing at her breast pocket. "Luna, listen to me. I want you to go on ahead and get to the meeting."_

" _What?!" Luna gasped. "But Yui I-"_

 _Lucifer spoke out. "Well? Aren't you going to say something? One of your cheesey heroic speeches?"_

" _There's no time to argue." Yui told her. "You're our only hope now. You need to get to that meeting and tell the leaders what's going on."_

" _But… What if I can't convince them?" Luna asked._

" _You can do it Luna. I believe in you." Yui told her._

 _Another taunt came from Lucifer. "Are you scared, Black Swordswoman?"_

" _Yui…"_

" _Go!" Yui said in a slightly raised whisper._

 _Finally, Luna nodded her head. She flew out of Yui's breast pocket and towards the meeting place. If everything really was riding on her shoulders, then she would make sure she succeeded and didn't let everyone's effort be in vain._

' _Good luck, Luna.' Yui silently prayed as she turned around, unsheathing her two swords. She stared down Lucifer, ready to take him on without any worries about finishing him off in time._

" _I'm not scared of you, Lucifer. Not anymore." Yui said as she pointed one of her blades at the Imp. "I'm taking you down."_

* * *

Lucifer couldn't believe what was happening right now. He had planned. He had put so much planning into his goal, but it had all been unravelled right in front of his eyes. And by a Navigation Pixie no less.

"I did it, Yui." Luna said with a smile. "I got them to believe me."

"To be honest, we weren't sure what to make of it at first." the Sylph leader said. "A sudden pixie appearing and telling us such a far-fetched story? Needless to say, it was a bit hard to believe."

The Undine leader nodded in agreement. "But in the end, we decided to come and investigate for ourselves."

"It's a good thing we did too." the Cait Sith leader added. She waved her finger at Lucifer. "You've been a very naughty player, Lucifer. You and your team both."

' _Damnit!'_ Lucifer screamed in his mind angrily. ' _I was so close!'_

"What's the matter Lucifer? Where's that calm and collected expression you always have go?" Yui asked from behind him.

Lucifer slowly turned around, glaring at Yui. "You… You and your friends ruined my dream." He tightened his grip on his sword and charged at the female Spriggan. "You'll pay for this!"

Yui stood still as Lucifer came at her. He raised his sword and prepared to swing it down at her. "Die!"

"Hyah!" with a loud yell, Yui swung both of her blades up and parried Lucifer's sword, knocking his blade into the air and leaving him exposed.

"I was afraid to use this in our last fight because I hadn't mastered it." Yui said, readying her two swords. "But not this time!"

Lucifer grew worried, expecting to be hit with a sword skill. But to his surprise, Yui's swords didn't gained the light of a skill. Instead, they moved in a fashion he had never seen before from the Spriggan girl.

"Here goes!" Yui roared. "Starburst Stream!"

Yui swung her twin blades in the exact same motion as she had seen her father do it in the past when he had shown her the skill. With the lack of the Unique Skill from SAO known as Dual Wielding, Yui had no way of even recreating the sword skill as an OSS. She had instead spent months on end mastering each of the skills that her father had shown her from the Dual Wielding library, him having memorized them. But one of the few skills that she had trouble recreating was the Starburst Stream.

Fear and nervousness had taken over her mind last time. But now she would not let that control her again.

Lucifer cried out in pain as the sixteen slashes from Yui's Starburst Stream ripped through him. As the last few hits came, Lucifer's body burned away into a remain light, silencing the Imp for good.

Yui let out a sigh of relief and put her two swords back into their sheaths. Luna flew over to Yui and happily hovered around her. "You did it Yui! You beat that big bully, Lucifer!"

"Yui!" a sudden voice called out. The female Spriggan turned her head and saw all of her friends collectively flying over towards her.

Yui waved back at her friends. "Hey guys!"

After joining back together, everyone explained to each other what had happened for them. Needless to say, everyone was happy to hear of Yui's victory over Lucifer.

Rin and Lilly were both happy to hear of Luna's contribution to their success. The Hiryo trio shared a collective hug.

"Looks like everything's all settled." Miku said with a relieved sigh.

"Alfheim owes you a great debt." the Sylph leader told the group. "Without your actions, most if not all of the races would be at war right now."

"Well maybe next time you idiots will stop and think before jumping the gun." Naoki said, which was quickly followed by Tetsuya covering his friend's mouth.

"Please forgive him. He tends to run his mouth sometimes." Tetsuya said with a nervous chuckle. He then whispered into Naoki's ear. "What are you thinking? You know they could kill us all if you pissed them off, right?"

Amethyst shook her head. "Actually your Salamander friend has a point. As leaders, we need to learn from this mistake and make sure we don't let ourselves get played again."

Ignis let out a sigh. "Well as much as I'd like a good war, I suppose we'll just have to settle for winning next year's tournament."

"Oh? Getting cocky are we?" the Sylph leader said. "I'm looking forward to making you eat those words later."

After a little more discussion, the leaders disbanded and went to their respective capitals. Strea stretched out her arms. "Well I'd say we all earned a good rest. I'm heading home."

A sudden growl came to Lilly's stomach as she groaned. "That's right. I totally forgot we skipped lunch to do all this. I'm starving."

Everyone shared a collective laugh as they each went their separate ways and headed home. Before leaving, Rin pulled Shade aside to talk with him.

"Shade, I want to ask a favor from you."

* * *

 _-Two days later-_

Rin blinked her eyes open as she woke up in her parent's house in Lunet. She stretched her arms out as she prepared herself. "It's finally time."

"Hi Rin!" Luna greeted cheerfully in her fairy form. "Are we gonna go on an adventure today?"

Rin shook her head. "No, sorry Luna. I've got some personal stuff planned."

"Really?" Luna asked with a tilt of her head. "Can I come too?"

Rin contemplated bringing Luna along, but decided there was no harm in her coming. "Sure. Why not?"

"Yay!" Luna cheered as she transformed into her pixie form and flew into Rin's breast pocket.

Rin walked out of the house and flew off. Once she reached Lunet's teleport gate, she teleported herself to Floor 23. Rin flew around the islands, finally landing on the one with the large tree on it, the sight of where Yuuki had died.

The refreshing breeze blew through Rin's hair. She had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Luna poked her head out from Rin's pocket. "What are we doing here?"

"We're waiting for someone." Rin explained. At that moment, she caught sight of a black dot in the distance. "And here they come."

Soon, another player descended onto the island. They seemed just as ready for what was about to happen as Rin was. "You're early."

"What can I say? I was eager to get this started." Rin grinned. "So you ready to do this Shade?"

Shade reached for his katana and unsheathed it. "It's quite fitting that you chose this spot."

"Well it IS where we had our first match." Rin said. "It may not be as glamorous as the ALO Annual tournament, but it'll do." An eager grin was painted on her face. "It's finally time Shade. Time for our rematch."

 **A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed seeing Yui kick Lucifer's butt, especially with her father's signature move. Next chapter will be the finale for the LONG arc this has been. After this chapter, I will be going back more towards the everyday life of the characters and some more lighthearted stuff because I think we can all agree there have been A LOT of fights in this arc. Next chapter will also have a big reveal at the end, so make sure to check it out.**


	34. Settling the Score

**A/N: Well everyone it's been a long arc, but it's finally time for its final chapter. A rematch of one of the first fights of this fic. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Rin and Shade stared each other down silently. The two of them didn't need any words between each other. They each knew that the other was stronger than the last time they had fought. Both of them wanted this. And now it was finally time to settle the score between them.

"Luna, stay back for this." Rin told her sister as she brought the tiny pixie from her pocket. "I want to handle this alone."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked.

"Positive." Rin nodded. "I fought him alone last time. I want it to be the same this time too."

Luna fluttered away from her sister and went to the edge of the island, turning into her fairy form. She stood on the sidelines and watched as Rin's focus was entirely on the Spriggan standing across from her.

Thinking back, Luna remembered back when Rin had fought Shade for the first time. It had been while the AI girl was still in stasis and had caused Rin's headaches during the match. She couldn't recall the details clearly, but she knew that it was her fault that Rin had lost back then. This time, Luna wanted it to be different.

' _Good luck Rin. You can do it.'_

Rin took her starting stance, bringing her fists up. "You ready, Shade?"

Shade held his katana, ready to fight. "Come at me whenever you want."

Silence filled the island as the breeze blew past the two players. In an instant, Rin kicked off the ground and sped at Shade. She closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye as the female Salamander reeled her fist back. Before her fist could connect, Shade leaped over her, swinging his blade as he hid. Rin kept her body low as she barely managed to avoid it.

The initial clash ended with Rin and Shade distancing themselves from each other, both completely unscratched. The grins on their faces were plain to see.

As Luna watched the fight, a new arrival suddenly landed next to her. Luna looked over to see the new player was her other sister Lilly. "So this is what had Rin so excited the other day."

"Lilly?!" Luna said in surprise. "How did you know we were here?"

"I logged on a few minutes ago and found that you and Rin weren't at the house. I used the menu to track you two here." Lilly explained. Her eyes stayed glued to the fight going on. "Good thing I did too. This should be fun to watch."

Luna looked back at Rin. "She can win… right?"

"Hard to tell. Frankly, I'd say either one of them could win this." Lilly said. "But Rin's a fighter. She won't give up to the very end."

Back at the fight, Shade took the offensive as he closed in at Rin. He slashed at Rin, but she managed to duck under it and land a powerful blow to Shade's gut. His HP dropped as Rin sent another punch his way, knocking him up into the air. Shade brought out his wings and balanced himself out midair.

"Your reaction speed has gotten better." Shade said. "Impressive."

"So has your speed. I almost got hit by that slash." Rin told him. The female Salamander brought out her wings, ready to take the fight to the air. "I'd say that was a pretty good warmup. How about we get serious?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Shade said with a smirk under his mask.

With a powerful flap of her wings, Rin took off into the air. She threw a straight jab at him, but Shade maneuvered his body away while going for a counter attack. This time it was Rin's turn to dodge Shade's attack and then counterattack with a kick, which was blocked by Shade's arm. The battle quickly turned into a close range series of blocking, attacking, and dodging, with neither Rin nor Shade getting a clean hit in.

Shade quickly fell back as he reached into his pocket and tossed up a small round object. Rin chased after him, but she gasped when she noticed the object Shade had tossed. The male Spriggan flicked it with his finger and the object exploded, creating a huge cloud of smoke.

' _Smoke bomb, huh?'_ Rin thought. ' _Don't think I'll fall that easily, Shade.'_

Rin saw Shade's sword come ant her through the smoke with a horizontal slash. Rin quickly acted and bent her body back, the sharp edge of Shade's katana passing over her. She then hooked both her legs around Shade's now visible arm. The female Salamander twirled her body around, taking Shade for a spin along with her before throwing him down towards the ground.

As Shade plummeted towards the ground, he turned his gaze back upwards, only to be met with a vicious punch from Rin that crashed him into the ground. A huge cloud of debris kicked up from the force as Shade laid in a small crater.

Seeing Rin land such a powerful hit on her opponent made Luna cheer as she and Lilly watched the fight. "Yeah Rin! Beat him good sis!"

"Well isn't this a surprise?" a sudden voice spoke up. Lilly and Luna both glanced to their side to see Shade's teammates Kaguya and Kamui land on the island. "I was wondering when these two would meet again in battle."

"It's been awhile." Lilly said.

Kaguya nodded her head. "Yes, I believe the last time we met was during the attack on the leaders at the tournament after the finals. I heard from Shade that you all stopped the war that was going to happen and defeated Team Demise."

"Yeah. We were lucky Shade was there." Lilly nodded. "If it wasn't for him, Miku, and Apollo showing up, I don't think we would have succeeded."

"Heh, you would have had no trouble if we were there." Kamui said with a cocky grin. "I bet I could have taken at least two of those Team Demise losers on my own."

"Didn't you get your team their first lost against them in the tournament?" Lilly countered.

"Why you little…"

Kaguya let out a small giggle. "She's got you there, Kamui."

A loud shout from Rin caused the group to look back at the fight to see Rin and Shade fiercely clashing yet again. Luna kept on cheering for her sister. "Go Rin! Go go go!"

"Heh, cheer all you want kid, Shade's gonna win this." Kamui told her.

Luna pouted as she looked over at Kamui. "No way! Rin's gonna win!"

"In your dreams. As if Shade would lose to someone like her."

Luna and Kamui glared at each other before being separated by Kaguya. "Now, now, let's not go fighting between ourselves right now. Let's just watch and see how this fight turns out."

Looking back towards the battle going on in front of them, the four onlookers watched as shade dodged a punch from Rin. He went in for a slash to sever her right arm, but Rin quickly brought up her gauntlet to block the metal blade. The force behind the slash was still powerful enough though that it sent Rin tumbling back. As she turned back to Shade, she saw him leap at her with a downwards slash.

Rin quickly brought her fist to her waist, her hand becoming veiled in an emerald light. She activated a sword skill, swinging her fist up for an uppercut. The force of the blow collided with Shade's katana and knocked it up. He leaped back as Rin's skill finished. However, Rin would still be trapped in her position for a second or two. Sword skills had such an effect, and although martial art skills had the shortest stun period after use, there was still a brief moment nonetheless. Shade took advantage of the opportunity and sped in for a slash. Rin felt her body regain movement at the last moment and titled her body to the side. The slash still hit her, but she had managed to minimize the damage as best she could. Her health fell into the yellow.

After he passed her, they both turned around to face each other once again. The battle was beginning to take its toll on both of them, as they could be seen trying to catch their breath to recover.

"You're as good as ever, Shade." Rin said with a grin. "I'm glad I got this chance to fight you again."

"As am I." Shade agreed. "You're no longer the amateurish girl I beat last time."

"Beating you has been the only thing on my mind ever since our last fight." Rin told him. "The first time we fought, it was such a crazy thrill. I wanted to experience that feeling again."

Shade nodded understandingly. "It's the same for me. Until I fought you, there was barely anyone I knew able to fight on the same level as me."

"I'd love nothing more than for this fight to last all day." Rin said as she took her stance once again. "But one of us has to win this."

"Indeed. So let's find out who that shall be." Shade said, taking his own stance as well.

Shade was the first to make a move, going in at Rin. His sword began to move oddly, but Rin knew what that meant.

' _It's Shade's ultimate attack.'_

"Shadow Illusion Slash!" Shade yelled out as he swung his katana at Rin. The female Salamander made no attempt to block or dodge it, nor could she if she tried. Just as Shade slashed at her avatar, he gasped as Rin did something he never expected.

She lunged at him and held him in a tight hug.

Shade's katana stayed lodged in Rin's body, slowly draining her HP. But in the position he was now in, Shade couldn't break free of Rin's hold.

"Bet you didn't see this coming." Rin grinned. She flapped her wings and took off into the air with Shade. Once she was high enough, Rin turned around and plummeted back down. She smashed Shade into the ground with a powerful piledriver.

Shade's HP dived down into the red, but having his blade stuck in her for so long had taken its toll on Rin's HP as well. She was on her last legs.

' _I have to end this now.'_ Rin told herself. ' _Before he has a chance to hit me again.'_

Kicking off the ground, Rin sped forward at Shade just as the male Spriggan pulled himself out of the ground. He saw Rin, just as both of the girls hands and feet became veiled in a shining violet light.

"It's over!" Rin shouted as she threw two punches at Shade, following up by hitting him with a powerful uppercut. As he flew up into the air, Rin swiftly appeared and knocked him down with a kick. Shade crashed into the ground. As he laid there, he saw Rin dive down at him with her fist reeled back.

"Inferno Dragon's Barrage!"

The final punch slammed into Shade and kicked up a huge cloud of debris. Lilly and the others dug their feet in to keep from getting blown away by the shockwave. When the debris finally cleared, Shade's avatar was gone and a remain light was all that was left of him as Rin stood tall.

Luna's smile grew wide as she jumped up in the air. "Yay! Rin did it!"

Rin turned to Luna and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw Lilly and the rest of Team Moonshadow. "Woah, when did all of you guys get here?"

"You mean you didn't notice?" Lilly asked in a deadpanned state. The Cait Sith girl let out a sigh. "Geez, once you're fighting, your mind just goes to another world, doesn't it?"

"Sorry." Rin said with a lighthearted chuckle. "Do you mind reviving Shade, sis? I can't use revival magic."

Lilly walked over to Shade's remain light and began chanting a spell. When she finished, Shade's remain light swirled up, reviving the Spriggan to his regular state.

"It seems I lost." Shade admitted. He looked at Rin. "That was a good fight. Much better than our last one."

Rin giggled as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

Shade turned to walk away back towards his friends. As he walked, Rin called out to him. "Shade!"

The male Spriggan turned his head. "What is it?"

"I… well I was wondering…" Rin spoke softly. "Maybe you'd like to hang out with us sometime. Maybe go on a quest or something."

Shade stayed silent for a few moments before turning back. He opened his menu and shuffled around a bit. Soon, a window popped up in front of Rin.

 _Would you like to accept Shade's friend request?_

It took Rin a moment to get over the surprise, but she quickly pressed 'Yes'. She didn't know why, but she felt a sudden surge of happiness at Shade sending her that friend request. Perhaps it was the fact that she now had another strong player to go on adventures with.

"I'll see you around… Rin." Shade said as he walked away with his friends.

Rin nodded her head as she watched Shade leave. "See you around."

* * *

Kenta Serezuki opened his eyes as he laid on his bed. He reached for the Amu Sphere on his head and pulled it off. He placed the device at the desk on the side of his bed before walking out of his room. He stretched his arms out as he walked downstairs.

As he entered the kitchen, Kenta noticed the sound of someone cutting up vegetables. Looking over at the counter, he saw his mother was the one doing it. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back as she lifted her gaze and saw her son. "That was quick Kenta. You log off already?"

"I didn't have much I needed to do, just meet up with some friends." Kenta explained.

The woman nodded understandingly and went back to cutting. "I heard in the latest MMO Today that Alfheim was saved from the brink of war by a bunch of unknown players. Did you hear anything about this?"

Kenta shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. I only heard simple gossip, nothing more."

"Mmhmm." she said with a knowing smirk. "I saw you have a small sense of accomplishment when you logged off the other day, which just so happened to be on the same day as this." She could see her son start to stiffen up a bit, causing her to let out a small giggle. "You know you're just like your father when he was younger. Always acting so mysterious."

"You met dad in your last year of high school though, right mom?" Kenta asked. "How do you know what he was like before then?"

The mother smiled as she thought back on old memories. "It was our senior year when we got together, but we had met before then. All the way back in Sword Art Online."

"So dad was mysterious back then?" Kenta questioned.

"Oh big time." she nodded. "He even wore a mask at the top half of his face and everything." The woman giggled to herself. "I guess I was the opposite. I stood out a lot amongst the Holy Dragon Alliance. I was their top tactician after all. But there was one player with an even sharper mind than mine."

Kenta narrowed his eyes. "Who was it?"

Her smile didn't leave as she continued to reminisce. "His name was Ren. He was the top tactician among the front lines. Oddly enough, I kinda had a crush on him back in the day."

"What happened?"

"Oh I did lots of things to try and get him to notice me. But in the end, he already had someone else he loved. I eventually gave up on him." She glanced over at her son. "It was for the best though. Everything worked out and I couldn't be happier with my life." She glanced up at the clock to check the time. "Oh, your father should be home soon. I better finish on making dinner."

"Anything I can help with?"

She shook her head. "No sweetie, I can manage. You go relax until dinner."

Kenta walked away as his mother had asked. The blonde woman went back to cutting vegetables, remembering her old friends.

' _The time I spent as Asami is long gone'_ Hikari thought to herself. ' _Now I'm just Hikari. And that's more than enough for me.'_ She looked at a picture, showing her with her friends from the SAO Survivor's School. ' _It's been a long time. Maybe I should catch up with Dan and Alicia again sometime soon. I bet Satoshi would love to see his old rival again.'_

 **A/N: So yeah, here's the surprise I mentioned last chapter. For those of you wondering who Asami and Yaksha's kid would be, it's Shade. I also had to give Yaksha a name for his irl self so I went with Satoshi as you can see. There won't be any new arcs for a bit, for now it'll just be regular one-shot or two-shot chapters.**

 **Also, I'm thinking of having my next commission for my OCs be Luna. What do you all think? I'm curious to hear your opinions.**


	35. Fleeting Memories of Summer

**A/N: Hey readers. This chapter was actually timed perfectly since I started college again this week. So summer is finally over for me. Don't worry though, I still plan to try and keep updates for this fic on a weekly basis.**

It had been a long summer vacation for Rin. She had hung out with friends, fought in a tournament, and helped prevent a large scale war from breaking out in ALO. But there was one thing she still had trouble with doing for the few months she had off.

Summer homework.

"Ugh…" Rin groaned as she planted her face on the kitchen table. "This suuuuccckks!"

"It's your fault for waiting so long." Lilly reminded her sister. "You spent so much time training for the tournament, you didn't even do an ounce of your schoolwork."

"But it's so BORING!" Rin moaned.

"Your sister's right, Rin." Alicia told her daughter. "You only have yourself to blame."

"Who's idea was it to create homework during summer?!" Rin complained. "Whoever it is has got to be the evilest person to ever live!"

Lilly sighed and shook her head. "There's still a week left before summer ends. You'll just have to power through it."

Rin pouted at her sister. "Easy for you to say. You already finished yours."

The younger sister let out a giggle. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. "Oh that's right. We planned to go to the beach to celebrate Tetsuya's victory in the fencing regionals. We'll need to do that this week." She shot a grin at her sister. "Well, at least those of us that aren't busy with other things."

"No fair!" Rin complained. "I wanna go to the beach!" She looked at her mother. "Mom, can I go? Pretty please!"

Alicia shot a knowing grin at her daughter. "Young lady, I'm not letting you goof off and not finish your homework."

"I'll finish it in time, I promise!"

"I'll make you a deal then." her mother told her. "If you can finish over half of your homework by tomorrow, then you can go."

"Really?!" Rin asked with her eyes gleaming with excitement. The teen quickly began writing through her report. "Alright! Time to power through this!"

Alicia and Lilly looked at each other and giggled to themselves. "I'll go check with the others when they want to schedule the beach day." Lilly said as she walked into another room to message Yui and the others.

* * *

"Woohoo! Hello beach!"

Rin smiled proudly as she stared out at the vast ocean. After spending the entirety of yesterday working on her summer homework, she had managed to get enough done for her mother to allow her to go for a beach day.

Lilly shared in her sister's excitement. After all of the hard work they had put into the tournament and defeating Lucifer's group, a day of relaxation and fun in the sun was just what they needed. She scanned the area. "Now where's Yui and Strea? They texted me that they were already here."

"Yo Lilly! Over here!"

Turning their heads, the two sisters saw Yui and Strea walk up to them. Both girls were dressed in bikinis, like the Hiryo sisters. Along with them was Sayaka, wearing a bikini of her own to the girls' surprise.

"It's a good thing it's not too crowded." Yui pointed out. "We need a decently open space for everyone to be together."

"Ugh, where are Naoki and Tetsuya anyway?" Strea groaned. "They're making us wait."

"Just give them a bit." Yui told her sister. "I'm sure they're almost here."

A few minutes passed by, and just as Yui said Naoki and Tetsuya could be seen coming up towards the beach. The two guys were already wearing swim trunks, clearly looking forward to some time in the ocean.

"Alright, that just leaves one more group." Yui said.

"What, we have to wait even more?!" Strea whined. "Who else is coming anyway?"

"I invited Miku and the others to come along." Yui explained. "This was originally supposed to be a celebration for Tetsuya, but with everything that happened I'd say it can double for us celebrating taking down Lucifer and Team Demise. And Miku and Apollo helped us back then, so it seemed appropriate to invite them and their team too."

"Looks like we won't have to wait very long." Rin said, pointing out in the distance.

The group looked over and saw Team Mighty five walking over to them. Miku, or Mika as she was called in the real world, was dressed in a white and purple two-piece swimsuit, a frilly white bikini top and a pair of violet swim shorts. She had inherited her father's black hair which she kept in a ponytail that fell just past her shoulders, but her eyes had the same purple color as her mother.

Mika's brother Apollo, also known as Taro outside of the virtual world, was wearing black swim trunks with a blue stripe down the sides and silver stars at the hem of the legs. His hair was blonde much like his mother's, and his eyes were an ocean blue. Both siblings had goggles on their heads with Mika's having a purple tint and Taro's being blue tinted, showing they were ready for the ocean.

Neko's real name was Cho. Her hair and eyes were the same has her avatar's, though her hair had a few bits of strawberry red in it along with its black color. Even for a girl at her young age, she was pretty flat-chested, but she never seemed to care. She was dressed in a lime green one piece swimsuit with a red trim.

Jinketsu went by the name of Ronin in the real world. He kept in shape, as shown by his six-pack abs. His swim trunks had the emblem for his father's old guild, Furinkazan. He also had a red bandana tied around his head, with his messy black hair above it.

Erika had the same black hair as her mother Suguha, though she kept it longer falling about halfway down her back. The emerald green bikini she wore showed off her rather large chest, another thing she had inherited from her mother.

"Hey guys." Mika greeted with a wave. "Ready for some fun in the sun?"

"You bet." Strea grinned.

"Let's go find a good spot." Yui suggested as she led the way.

The large group of teens all walked together, finally finding a nice spot to put their stuff down. Almost immediately, most of the group headed out to the ocean. A few stayed behind however, preferring to bathe in the sun and relax. Lilly and Mika were two such people.

Naoki was one of the ones staying behind, but sunbathing wasn't his motivation for doing so.

He wore a pair of shades to be "discrete" as he stared at the girls playing in the ocean. He tried to hide it, but the small grin on his face made his actions all too obvious. Watching the exposed skin and bouncy chests of the girls at the beach was all the entertainment he needed.

"Dude, stop being such a pervert. Seriously." Tetsuya said as he sat in the chair next to his friend.

"Oh come on Tetsuya, you can't honestly say you aren't checking them out at least a little."

"No, because I'm not a pervert." Tetsuya told him. "Honestly, I don't know who's going to slap you first. Rin for looking at her, or Taro for looking at Mika."

Naoki waved off his friend's concern. "Relax. Mika's good and all, but there's way better contenders than her."

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Mika asked as she glared at Naoki with a small blush on her face.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with them being regular sized. It's just that it doesn't compare with the melons that Erika and Strea are packing."

Mika's blush became all the more apparent as she covered her chest with her arms. Naoki soon felt something slam against the top of his head, causing the teen to hold his head in pain. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"That was for your comment about my sister." Taro said as he walked past Naoki and laid down on a beach blanket.

Naoki continued to nurse his aching head, while the others paid no mind to his suffering. He only had himself to blame as far as they were concerned.

Mika put on a pair of headphones as she listened to some music while she sunbathed. Lilly looked over at her friend curiously. "What ya listening to, Mika?"

"Ever hear of Akimi? She's a idol that recently started to get popular." Mika explained.

"Oh yeah, I heard about her." Lilly recalled. "Her singing is amazing. Didn't she say she's taking a hiatus soon though?"

Mika nodded her head. "Yeah. Something about wanting to focus on school for now."

"Well she is only 14. Juggling school and idol work sounds like it'd be pretty hard." Lilly pointed out.

"I saw a video of her." Naoki chimed in. "She's got some gorgeous looks."

Both Mika and Lilly rolled their eyes at Naoki, unable to comprehend the red haired teens inability to think of anything other than outward appearance.

After another hour or so, the others returned from the ocean. After eating a quick lunch, Yui came up with an idea of what to do next.

"There's an open net over there." Yui pointed out. "Who's up for some beach volleyball?"

Naoki raised his hand. "I'm game."

Tetsuya shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? Sounds like fun."

"If Naoki's playing, then so am I." Mika said sternly as she stood up. "I'll show you who's 'just average'."

The others looked at each other curiously, not knowing what she meant by that. Ronin was next to volunteer. "I'm in."

"I'll play." Rin offered.

"I'll join too." Erika said. "Should be a good time."

"I guess I'll join in." Taro volunteered.

"Perfect. We'll do boys against girls." Yui said. "It'll be a four against four battle."

The group of eight walked over to the volleyball net and took their positions. Mika was serving first for the girls. A fierce determination burned in her eyes.

"Get ready to lose boys." Mika said.

"As if. You're going down." Naoki retorted.

The black haired girl threw the ball up and smacked her hand against it, sending it over to the other side. Taro saw the direction it was going. "Tetsuya, heads up!"

Tetsuya leaped up and hit the ball back over to the girls. Rin went for it and knocked the ball up. "Erika, it's all yours!"

Jumping into the air, Erika slammed her hand against the ball and delivered a devastating spike to the boys, giving the girls the first point.

The others watching could see the strong team made by Yui, Rin, Mika, and Erika. "The boys are gonna have their work cut out for them." Lilly observed.

"They've got no chance." Cho said.

"We'll just have to prove you wrong then!" Naoki told them, picking up the conversation to the side. "Alright girls, do your worst!"

"Our pleasure." Mika smirked confidently as she served the ball again.

The game went back and forth, with the girls managing to hold a slight lead over the boys consistently. The boys were not going down without a fight however, managing to score some important points when they could. But before long, the girls were one point away from winning the game.

"Alright, time out! Team meeting!" Naoki declared. The girls rolled their eyes as the boys huddled up to discuss some strategy.

"What do we do? If we lose, the girls are never gonna let us live this down." Tetsuya questioned.

"Well maybe if _someone_ hadn't pissed off Mika, her serving wouldn't be so deadly." Taro pointed out, eyeing Naoki.

"Come on, we can do this." Naoki said encouragingly. "If we win, think of all the hot girls watching that will be drawn to our mad skills." The red haired teen soon found his three teammates looking at him in disbelief. "What?"

Tetsuya rolled his eyes. "Ignoring Naoki over here, we need some teamwork to pull off a win here."

Suddenly Taro's eyes flashed with inspiration. "I've got an idea." The other three guys looked his way as a devious grin came to Taro's face. "And best of all, the girls will never see it coming."

"Oh? Do tell." Ronin said.

"Here's what we'll do."

On the other side of the net, the girls were getting impatient at how long their opponent's were taking. Rin called over to the other side. "Are you guys done yet? We want to finish this game sometime today."

"Yeah, yeah, we're ready." Naoki said as the guys broke out from their huddle and took their positions.

The girls all got ready. They were one point away from winning this. Mika readied herself and tossed the ball into the air. "Get ready guys."

"Don't get nervous about being a lackluster server, Mika!" Naoki called out. "I know another category you're already lackluster in compared to other girls!"

Naoki's comment made Mika's cheeks go bright red. She was thrown off balance and hit the ball poorly, knocking it right into the net.

"Aw yeah! Point for the guys team!" Naoki grinned.

"NAOKI!" Mika shouted. "What the hell was that about?!"

"Hey all's fair in love and war." the red haired teen argued.

Mika glared at Naoki as she grabbed the ball. "Then don't go crying home when I beat you into the dirt." She tossed the ball up and prepared to serve it.

"You sure Erika or Strea shouldn't serve it?! They're used to carrying some big round packages!"

' _Stay focused.'_ Mika told herself. ' _Tune it out.'_

Everyone watched as the raven haired girl leaped into the air and smacked the ball to the other side of the net with a powerful amount of force.

"Shit, now you've got her pissed! Good going Naoki!" Tetsuya remarked.

"Hey it was Taro's plan!"

"I said throw her off her game, not make perverted comments and turn her into a wild animal!" Taro yelled back as he hit the ball back.

"Rin, you're up!" Yui called out.

"On it!" Rin confirmed as she jumped up and spiked the ball to the guys.

Ronin barely managed to save his team by hitting the ball up. Taro followed up by knocking the ball back to the girl's side of the net.

The ball went back and forth between the two sides for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the guys pulled off a desperate move. Ronin hit the ball into the air and kneeled down. Tetsuya leaped off him like a springboard and delivered a powerful spike before rolling into a land on the sand.

Yui quickly acted and managed to hit the ball into the air, preventing the guys from scoring another point. Rin hit it next, setting up for a deadly spike from Erika that hit the ball into the sand on the guys side.

"And that's how it's done!" Erika cheered as she and the rest of her team celebrated their victory.

The guys all collapsed onto the sandy beach, exhausted from having to put their all in and still lose. As the four of them caught their breath, Mika walked over to the other side. A fierce glare was coming from her.

"So Naoki, want to make another comment?"

Naoki gulped as sweat began to run down the back of his neck. "Oh boy, I suddenly got an urge to use the restroom. Good game girls, gotta go, bye!"

Mika chased after Naoki for a few minutes after that, but ended up letting him off with a stern warning at the end. The beach day continued as the group of friends had fun, but it eventually came time for it to end.

"I really wish we could have brought Luna along with us." Lilly said as she and Rin walked home. "She's our sister, plus she helped a lot in stopping Team Demise too."

"I wish she could have been here too." Rin agreed. "But look at it this way. By next summer, she should have her body ready. Then we can bring her to the beach for her first trip."

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah, I bet Luna will love it." Suddenly a thought came to her mind. "I wonder how she'll handle school. I know Yui had a bit of trouble adjusting at first."

Rin let out a groan. "That's right. School. I forgot I still have homework I gotta finish."

Lilly giggled at her sister as she and Rin walked back home. School would be starting soon, meaning that summer was over for them. A brand new school year with a new share of memories to make.

 **A/N: And with that summer is over, both for me and the characters of this story. Next chapter will have something a little unique in it, so be sure to look forward to it.**


	36. Line of Work

**A/N: Well SAO fans, it's finally happened. For all of you that missed out on seeing the Ordinal Scale movie in theaters, it's finally out online. So for all of you that have been staying away from Lost Stories because you haven't seen the movie, now is your chance to get caught up. I'm sure you will all thoroughly enjoy it.**

 **Also, I decided to do a different focus with this chapter. I'm sure you will all realize what it is early on. Enjoy.**

"Alright class, time to begin." the teacher spoke.

Lilly sat in class, listening attentively to the teacher's lecture. She had always been the studious type, so paying attention in class was basic for her. There were always those few that seemed to doze off or daydream in class, but Lilly was definitely not one of them. And nothing came more naturally to her in school than math.

She recalled back in her earlier years of school when she would get bullied or called names like "geek" or "nerd". She also remembered how those people would soon regret it when Rin showed up. Nowadays, things were different. She was one of the smartest in her class, but bullying never seemed to result from that anymore. It was high school after all.

When it came time for lunch, Lilly was happy to see that she had the same lunch period as Yui. The two girls sat together along with some other friends and chatted away.

Outside of her family and close friends, Yui's past as an AI had been kept completely secret. Her family didn't want any unnecessary attention drawn to Yui as a result of her different background. Her teachers all knew, since her parents had been forced to explain her situation when they first enrolled her in school at the age of ten. But outside of that, everyone was oblivious to the fact and saw her as a regular human girl.

After lunch period, it was back to class. By the end of the day, Lilly had gotten back into the motion of school. She saw her sister in the halls, and could see she was already dreading being back at school. A moan of disappointment caught their attention as they turned to see Strea walking innocently over to them while a male student sulked away. Clearly, another heartbroken boy after confessing their love to her.

"I see things haven't changed for you either, Strea." Lilly commented dryly.

The chestnut haired Kirigaya girl giggled. "Silly boys. They never learn."

After chatting for a bit longer, the Kirigaya and Hiryo sisters went their separate ways back home. A regular old school day. Same old same old.

Sounds pretty boring, doesn't it? But there were fun and exciting adventures for others that day.

* * *

Asuna walked through the halls of the hospital as she took a look at the list on her clipboard. She had been going through her rounds quite well with no problems to speak of so far. She took a quick break at one of the desks since she had a bit of free time, chatting with another nurse.

"You seem to be in good spirits, Asuna." the other nurse said.

"Well both my daughters started school again today." Asuna explained with a smile. "It'll be relaxing to know that Strea won't be getting into too much trouble with Yui there to keep an eye on her."

"I still remember some of the stories you've told me about Strea. Such a silly little troublemaker."

Asuna let out a giggle. "Yeah, I think she got that side of her from my husband. But she's still my little girl, and I wouldn't want her any other way."

"Such a doting mother. Your kids are really lucky." the nurse told her.

Suddenly, Asuna and the other nurse had their conversation cut short as another nurse came rushing down the hall. Her face showed a lot of worry as she looked over at them. "Have either of you two seen Shiho Hanasuri come this way?"

"Hanasuri? Which one was that again?" Asuna asked.

"She's the little girl in Room 209." the nurse next to her said. "You remember, the one with the social disorder."

"Oh that's right!" Asuna remembered. Shiho had been admitted to the hospital a few days ago, having a serious illness. From what Asuna had heard, she needed to go through some rough treatments as a result. "So what's the matter? Can't you find her?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, she's disappeared. She's scheduled for another round of treatment in thirty minutes, but when I went to check up on her she wasn't in her room."

Asuna and the nurse at the desk widened their eyes. "She can't have gone far." Asuna said. "Let's split up and look for her."

The other two nurses nodded in agreement and they each went a separate route. Asuna wandered the halls of the hospital, looking for a girl that matched Shiho's description.

As Asuna passed by the storage room, something came into earshot for her. She stopped and listened carefully, hearing the soft sound of weeping coming from behind the doors of the storage room.

Peering open the door, Asuna walked in and saw a figure huddled over at a corner of the room. It was a young girl, maybe about the age of ten. She had short blonde hair. There was little doubt in Asuna's mind that this was Shiho.

Asuna slowly walked up to the girl. Shiho noticed Asuna coming over and backed away. "No! Don't make me do it! I don't wanna go!"

"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Asuna said, kneeling down to get at eye level with the girl while keeping her distance. "Your name is Shiho, right?"

The young girl nodded her head. "Mhm."

"Alright then Shiho. I'm Nurse Kirigaya." Asuna introduced herself. "But you can just call me Asuna if that works better for you." Shiho stayed silent so Asuna continued. "Would you mind telling me why you're in here, Shiho?"

"I don't wanna go through the treatments." Shiho said. "There's really pointy needles and other scary stuff. And it hurts a lot."

Asuna nodded her head understandingly. "I'm sorry Shiho. As a nurse, it's my job to try and minimize the pain for the people that come to this hospital. But sadly, I can't make it all go away."

"I don't wanna go." Shiho pouted. "You can't make me."

"I'm not trying to make you." Asuna told her. "The choice is all yours."

Shiho lifted her head and looked up at Asuna. "Really?"

Asuna nodded. "Really."

"Then I choose not to go." Shiho told her.

Asuna let out a giggle. "You know, you remind me of my own daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

"That's right. Two to be in fact." Asuna explained. "The one I'm talking about though is my youngest one, Strea. She used to hate going to the doctor to get shots. She'd cry and wail and beg me to take her away from it all." She showed a soft smile as she thought back on those memories. "But in the end, I always managed to get her to sit still for the shot by being right there with her. She'd hold my hand and I'd make her feel better, almost as if the pain didn't even exist." Shiho silently listened to Asuna as she went on. "What about you Shiho? Don't you have a special connection like that to your mom or dad?"

Shiho frowned as she lowered her head. "They're both too busy with work to be here. I'm all alone."

"I see." Asuna said. "Well in that case, how about I take their place for you?"

"Huh?"

"I'll be right by your side while you go through the treatment." Asuna told her. "And when it's all over, I'll be there to make all the pain go away. Sound good?"

"But… it's still gonna hurt, right?"

Asuna nodded her head. "I'm afraid so Shiho. But I'll make that pain go running for the hills once you're all done. Cause I know pain's weak spot."

"What is it?" Shiho asked.

"This!" Asuna said as she leaned in and tickled the young girl's belly.

Shiho giggled and laughed as Asuna tickled her. "H-Hey! Stop it- hahahahah!"

Asuna showed the girl a soft smile as she looked at her. "How about it Shiho? You ready to give that treatment another try?"

Shiho stayed silent for a few moments before nodding her head. Asuna breathed a sigh of relief that she had managed to convince the girl to go of her own free will rather than being forced to drag her out. Asuna held her hand as she walked back to the room with her.

' _I'll help everyone I can with their pain.'_ Asuna silently thought to herself. ' _Just like you did with me, Yukki.'_

* * *

The job of a CFO was never an easy one in the business world. If there was anything Lilina Gekido could tell you, it'd be that. There was just so much to do with very little breathing room for error or relaxation. Lucky for her, Hyde provided a comforting home to come back to after a hard day of work with his brother Shu.

That said, with what was going on right in front of her, she was going to need a full on Shiatsu massage after this.

In the boardroom of Hayate Tech Inc., a technology company founded by one of Shu's college classmates along with himself, there were five businessmen from another tech company. Lilina could confidently say that she has a good radar when it comes to reading people. Seeing these forty plus year old men with sleazy grins and smug faces made her just want to kick their teeth in. A violent trait she picked up from her husband sure, but it was an effective tool in making sure no one tried to bully her in the business world.

For a while she let Shu do all the talking since he was far more tactful when it came to inner company workings. It was only when money was involved that she ever bothered to get invested into the conversation. But in her daydreaming, the word that brought her back to reality was the word 'buyout' coming from the lips of the slimy old men from across the table.

Shu raised his brow at the men. "A buyout of the company? Surely you must be joking."

"Not at all Mr. Gekido." One of the men, a portly bald fellow, said while rubbing his hands. "I can assure you that through the acquisition of your company, the Nishima Corporation name will help the stock value of your business shall skyrocket."

The one with a pair of glasses, clearly a toady, nodded his head in agreement. "Yes. The Nishima name is sought after by many companies and would be a valued asset. All we ask for is a purchase of the company for roughly half of its worth so that we can begin the merge and increase the value of your brand."

Shu gave a soft chuckle at the man's overeager statements. "Well men, it isn't me you need to convince." He turned around and gave a look to the red haired woman next to him and nodded his head at her. "My CFO is who you need to convince."

Lilina took this opportunity to let out a frustrated sigh before bringing out a portfolio and slamming it onto the table. She took pleasure in seeing the men across the table jump in surprise of her action. "Now men, you see unlike other companies that you have duped into letting you buy them for such a stingy value, I'm not willing to give any of you a single piece of yen from the bottom of my purse." She opened the folder up a slid across the table a list of the bought out companies and their current stock holdings. "As you can see here, your 'valued' name has done nothing but put down the value of those stocks. And if my research is correct, ever since the adultery scandal of last year, the CEO of Nishima along with his company have taken a massive nosedive in value."

One of the other men got up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table. "That scandal does not reflect the quality of the company's efforts!"

Lilina's laugh just served to poke at the men's sides all the more, much to her hidden delight. "The stock market would beg to differ. Also…" Another few pages were passed along the table to the men. "I've done my homework on your company and have found out there are several unlisted and unrecorded dealings going on in your financial records that has made the news recently. Under the table buyouts have been rumored to be in the reports as well along with tax fraud. Now tell me, why would the Hayate industry want to be involved with such an unsavory company?"

"Why you-"

"Ah, Ah! I wasn't done speaking." Lilina then brought up another paper from the folder and gave it a taunting wave. "Now if i've done my homework right, and I always do, your company is more susceptible to a buyout than ours is since your net worth has been dragged through the toilet and back. I've been in contact with your CEO alongside Shu over here for quite sometime and it seems that we have every advantage over you. This was probably a last ditch effort to try and convince us otherwise."

Seeing the men get all nervous and panicked was just another bonus to proceedings. "Now if we are done here gentlemen, I do believe I have to set up a buyout meeting of my own. Bye!"

The men from the other company didn't even get a chance to get a word in as Lilina walked out of the room. Shu got up from his seat. "Well, you heard her. Have a nice day." The business owner followed Lilina out of the room.

As the two of them walked, Lilina and Shu high fived each other. "You always come through for me Lilina."

"Yep. And did you see their faces?" Lilina laughed. "They looked like they were about to piss themselves."

"You do have that effect on people." Shu admitted. "But is buying out a company with that kind of reputation really a good move? It could affect our company's image."

"Eh, we'll just replace their head brass. That's the real root of the problem." Lilina told him. "Take that out, and we should avoid any negative outcomes."

Shu nodded his head understandingly. "Well your business sense is rarely wrong Lilina. If you say this will work, then I'll just have to take your word for it."

"You know it." the red haired woman said. "You should be grateful I'm on your side. Otherwise, your company might be the one getting bought out."

Shu let out a small, yet somewhat nervous chuckle. "Trust me, having you as an enemy would be the last thing I'd ever want."

* * *

"Alright we're in position. All squads, report in."

"Squad B in position."

"Squad C in position."

"Good. Squad A is in position." Shino said through her communicator. "Squad C, do you have a visual?"

"Yes, chief. I can make out three hostiles, all armed. The hostages are grouped together in the back right corner of the room."

"Understood. Standby for now. Squad B, are you ready?"

"All set, chief."

"Good." Shino said. She glanced towards the officers with her, silently signaling their orders with hand signs. They all got into position by the door.

And finally Shino gave the order to make their move.

With a loud kick, the door to the room was bust open. Shino and her team quickly moved in, several guns pointed at the criminals.

"Tokyo PD! Hands in the air!" Shino shouted.

It would have been nice for things to go smoothly and for the men to simply give up then and there. But Shino had been in the force for many years, and knew better than that. She saw one of the men go for the hostages, and shot him in the arm, forcing him to release his grip from his weapon as he let out a cry of pain and kneeled down. The other two moved their guns towards her, but they were both shot in the leg before they could fire, one of them by her and the other by one of the other officers.

Her time as a sniper in GGO had come in handy for her accuracy with a gun. And she had come a long way from being unable to even hold one in the real world.

"Restrain them, and check to make sure the hostages are unharmed." Shino ordered.

"Understood."

Shino wiped the sweat from her forehead and put her gun back in its holster. It had been a risky gamble, but luckily they had managed to stop the criminals that had overrun the building without anyone getting hurt. Well, anyone outside of the dirtbags being restrained at least.

"All the hostages are unharmed, chief." one of her officers confirmed.

"Good." Shino said. "Let's hurry and-" she suddenly found herself cut off as an arm reached around and grabbed her from behind, quickly restraining her with an arm around her neck.

"You're even better than the rumors say, Chief Makengo." the man holding her said. "I never expected you to be able to handle my boys so easily."

"Chief!" several officers gasped, all aiming their guns at the man.

"Hold it right there." the man said, pressing the barrel of his gun against Shino's cheek. "Anyone makes a move and she get's a bullet in her skull."

Shino mentally cursed herself for failing to notice the man creeping up on her. The operation had been too easy because their boss hadn't been there. And now she was in a tough spot.

"The famous Chief Makengo. They say you're the best shot in the entire Tokyo Police Department." the criminal chuckled. "Too bad those eyes of yours couldn't see this trap coming for you." He called out to the officers. "Alright, listen up! If you don't want her hurt, you'll do as I say! I want a car and ten thousand yen right now! No one follows me! Are we clear?!"

Shino showed a small smirk. "Oh we're clear alright. But your shirt isn't. Notice that red spot on your shoulder?"

The man glanced towards his shoulder and noticed a red dot of light on it. He gasped as he looked at the window, where the beam of light was coming from. A sniper gun aimed directly at his from the window of a nearby building.

Shino quickly used the man's distraction to her advantage. She grabbed the arm holding the gun and forced it upwards. Multiple shots were fired, penetrating the roof of the building. Shino struggled with the man, sending a swift kick into his unmentionables. He kneeled over in pain as the gun released from his hands.

"Gah, damn bitch…" he grumbled as he held his groin in pain.

Shino smirked as she kneeled down and looked him in the eye. "Let me guess. You were hired to take this job, and if I showed up, you were told to kill me, weren't you?"

"How did you-"

"I'm well aware of the amount of people I've put away and want me dead." Shino told him. "If you see them, tell them next time to hire people with more brains and skill." She stood back up as two of her officers handcuffed the man. She spoke into her communicator. "Excellent work, Squad B. Nice job with that timing."

"Thanks, chief. Happy to help."

If she was being honest, Shino would admit that the constant threat of death did take its toll on her every now and then. She worried for the safety of her family too. But in the end, she had chose this line of work. And if anyone wanted to lay a hand on Shirou or Tetsuya, they'd have to go through her.

* * *

"We're home." Rin called out as she and Lilly walked through the door of their house.

"Welcome home, you two." Alicia greeted from the kitchen. "Did you two enjoy your first day of the school year?"

Rin shrugged her shoulders. "It was fine. Same old, same old."

Alicia nodded, expecting as much of a response from Rin. "And you, Lilly?"

"There's a few classes that look like they might be hard, but I'll manage." Lilly said.

"You're so lucky, Rin and Lilly!" Luna spoke from the probe sitting on the counter. "I wish I could go to school too!"

"Luna? Is that you?" Lilly asked.

"I was talking with her while I did some chores around the house." Alicia explained. She turned back towards the probe. "And don't you worry Luna. You'll be able to go to school once you're here in the real world with us."

Rin headed upstairs. "Well I don't know about you but I'm ready for some fun. See you in ALO Lilly."

Alicia sighed as Rin ran upstairs to her room. "I just hope she doesn't fall behind in her classes."

"Don't worry mom. Rin's good at making sure she can avoid failing in class." Lilly assured her as she went upstairs as well. "We'll be off before dinner. See you in a bit."

Alicia managed a small smile as she went back to her house work. Suddenly Alicia heard the phone ring. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her husband. Alicia accepted the call and brought the phone to her ear. "Hey hun. What's up?"

"Hey." Dan said from the other end of the line. "Just wanted to let you know I'll be on my way home soon."

"Ok then sweetie. I'll be sure to get dinner started." Alicia told him. "How was your day?"

"It went well. Luna's body is coming along nicely by the way. At this rate, it might be done sooner than we originally thought."

"Really? That's great." Alicia smiled.

The black haired mother continued to talk with her husband on the phone. The life of a stay-at-home author and a mother wasn't always that exciting. But it was a life she wouldn't trade for the world.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed seeing some of the old characters from Blazing Revolution in action as adults. Next chapter will be up in its usual time. See you then.**


	37. Schoolgirl Idol

**A/N: Hey everyone. This chapter is gonna introduce a brand new character, so I hope you enjoy it. Also a brand new trailer for Fatal Bullet came out recently and it looks awesome!**

Walking to school together had been somewhat of a daily routine for Rin and Lilly ever since Lilly had started high school. They'd talk and make idle gossip until they got to the school, and then talk with friends before making their way to homeroom.

But for some reason, the school seemed far chattier than usual when the two of them arrived.

"Oh my god, do you think it's true?"

"Can't be. Why would she be in a place like this?"

"I saw her though. She looks just like her."

Rin and Lilly looked at each other curiously as they wondered what was going on. The sister duo walked up to some of their friends that were talking together. The group noticed them and called out to the two girls. "Rin, Lilly, you're never going to believe this."

"What is it?" Rin asked. "And what's got everyone so gossipy this morning?"

"There's a rumor going around the school." one of their friends said. "Apparently one of the first-years in the new group of students is Akane Migakuri."

Rin and Lilly widened their eyes. "Akane Migakuri?! You mean Akimi?! The idol?!"

"The very same." another of the girls nodded. "Apparently one of the first year classes has a student who goes by that name. And they even say she looks the same too."

"Oh I hope I get to meet her!" one of them cheered excitedly. "Just think about it! We could become friends with a celebrity!"

"Are you sure it's not just a rumor?" Rin asked. "Maybe a coincidence?"

"It better not be! I'm so excited for the chance to meet her!" one of them said.

"They did say she would be taking a hiatus to study at school." Lilly pointed out. Her eyes glanced at the clock. "Oh crap, we're gonna be late for homeroom!" she took off running to her classroom. "See you later girls!"

Lilly quickly ran into homeroom and sat down just as the bell rang. Even in her homeroom, whispers of Akimi were flying around. At this point, Lilly was almost completely convinced that the rumors were true.

' _A teen idol at our school, huh?'_ Lilly thought. ' _Talk about drama.'_

Classes went by normally for the middle child of the Hiryo family. Teachers talked, she took notes, class ended. Same old, same old.

Once school was over, Lilly decided to make a stop at the school's library before she met up with Rin, Yui, and Strea. She had been wanting to borrow the next book in the latest series she was reading and could only hope that the library at the school had it in stock.

"Hello Lilly." the woman at the front desk greeted. Lilly had been on a first name basis with most of the library staff since last year, her being one of their regulars.

"Hello ma'am." Lilly bowed. "Is it alright if I browse again?"

"By all means. Go ahead."

"Thank you."

Lilly browsed the books on the shelves, going towards the fantasy adventure area. She had always been a fan of these kinds of stories ever since she was little. Perhaps her mother's stories of her and her father's time in Aincrad had been the reason for that.

' _Let's see… Where is it…'_ Lilly thought to herself as she stepped sideways while browsing the shelves. As she stepped to the side once again, she felt herself bump into something below and fall over.

"W-Woah!"

Lilly groaned in pain as she laid on the floor. "Ow, that hurt."

"Umm… excuse me?" a voice suddenly asked. "Do you mind getting off me?"

"Huh?" Lilly looked behind her and saw that she was laying on top of another girl, most likely the one she tripped over. Lilly quickly got off the female student. "I-I'm so sorry! I was so invested in the books, my mind was scattering, and-"

"Relax, it's ok." the girl said as she sat up. Her eyes glanced over to the shelf and gasped as she grabbed a book from it. "No way, they have it!"

Lilly took a look at the book the girl was holding and gasped. "Hey, is that-"

"Mary Potter and the Goblet of Ice!" the girl squealed happily. "Book 4 of the Mary Potter series!"

The girl in question looked around the same age as Lilly. She had blonde hair that fell down a couple inches past her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright blue, just like the sky.

"Oh my gosh, they do have it!" Lilly said happily. "It only came out a week ago so I wasn't sure if they'd have one in stock."

"You mean you're a fan of this series too?" the girl asked. "How far in are you?"

"I finished Book 3 over the summer." Lilly told her. "Oh my gosh, when Mary found out the truth about her godfather!"

"And when they found out who really betrayed Mary's parents!"

"I can't believe it was Rei's pet rat!"

"I know right?! And the time traveling that Harold did?!"

The two girls squealed excitedly while trying to keep their volume down, being in a library. They both had big grins on their faces as they fangirled over the book series.

"I'm Lilly, by the way." Lilly introduced. "Lilly Hiryo."

"Nice to meet you Lilly. I'm Akane Miga-" the girl quickly bit her tongue to avoid saying anymore. But it was too late, as Lilly had already heard.

"Akane…" Lilly said aloud. Her eyes slowly widened as she gasped. "Hang on, are you Aki-" Lilly was silenced as Akane quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"Shhhhh, not so loud!" Akane told her in a loud whisper. She quickly poked her head up from the shelf and looked around before breathing a sigh of relief. "Good. Looks like nobody was listening."

"So wait, you're _really_ Akimi?" Lilly asked. "The teen idol?"

"Well… yes." Akane admitted. "Look just promise not to make a huge scene. I'll get you tickets or something or-"

"H-Hang on!" Lilly said, cutting the girl off. "There's really no need to do anything like that. You don't need to bribe me."

"You mean you won't tell anyone you saw me?" Akane asked.

Lilly showed a grin in response. "Only if you don't tell anyone about that embarrassing trip I made over you."

The two girls stared at each other before giggling in unison. The giggling continued on for a bit longer. When they were done, Lilly took a look over at the bookshelf and gasped at what she saw. "Oh no, there's no more copies of Goblet of Ice?! Seriously?!"

"Sorry. Looks like I grabbed the only one they had." Akane said. She handed the book over to Lilly. "Here, you can take it."

"Oh no, I couldn't." Lilly shook her head. "You found it first. I insist. Besides, you look just as eager to read it as I am."

Akane showed Lilly a smile. "Thanks Lilly. You're really nice. I'll try to finish it quickly so you can read it."

"Just don't spoil it for me before I get a chance to finish."

"As if I'd ever do that to another Mary Potter fan." Akane said.

"I hope this doesn't sound rude or anything…" Lilly said. "But I'm a bit surprised an idol like you is such a bookworm. I would have thought you'd be into other stuff."

Akane showed a sad smile. "You wouldn't be the first to think that." she said. "Everyone just seems to assume I'm some ditzy idol. But I'm not. I love to sing, but there's plenty of other hobbies I have too."

Lilly frowned. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."

"No, it's ok." Akane told her with a shake of her head. "To be honest, you're the first person I've met here that's realized who I am and acted… normal. Almost everyone I've met has looked like they were going to have a freak out."

"Yeah, I guess my fangirling over books took over." Lilly giggled. "So do you have any plans for today? School's over after all."

Akane shook her head. "Sorry. My mom says I have to be home right after school. She wants me to practice my singing each day."

"Really? That sounds tough."

"It is. But I can't disobey her. She basically runs my life as an idol."

"But I thought the news said you were taking a hiatus for school." Lilly said.

"Still have to practice." Akane sighed. "Thanks though Lilly. I'm really glad I met you." Suddenly a flash of inspiration struck for her. "Hey I know! Why don't we trade phone numbers? That way we can stay in touch."

Lilly nodded her head. "Sure."

The two girls gave each other their phone numbers and added the other into their contacts. Once Akane had checked out the book she was borrowing from the library, the two girls were about to walk out into the hall when Akane froze.

"What is it?" Lilly asked.

"Umm… I hate to ask this, but could you check the if there's anyone out there?" Akane asked. "I kinda want to avoid running out into a mob of people."

Lilly nodded her head understandingly. "No problem." She peeked her head out of the library and scanned the halls. Luckily it seemed most of the students had already started making their way home. It was only the second day of school after all, so there were no clubs or sports to go to yet. "All clear." she signaled.

Lilly and Akane walked through the school halls, making sure to avoid any of the places that tended to be popular hang out spots for students. Just as they thought they were in the clear when they approached the front door to the school, they noticed something outside.

"There sure are a lot of people out there." Lilly said.

Akane looked out the door and gasped. Reporters and journalists. Lots of them standing just across the road from the school. "Oh no, they found me! I thought the information about the school I was going to was kept secret!"

The two girls stayed hidden away from the door to avoid Akane being spotted by the media outside. The blonde girl seemed like she was going to have a panic attack. "What do I do? If I go out there, I'm going to be mobbed."

"We could try the back." Lilly suggested.

"No, they probably have people watching from there too to ambush me." Akane said.

Lilly quickly tried to think of a solution. The front door was out of the question. There were too many reporters out there. The only thing keeping them at bay probably was the fact that they couldn't step on school property without permission from the school. Then there was the back gate, but if Akane was right there would be a few people waiting to pounce the second the got out from there.

' _Calm down Lilly. Think. Imagine this is ALO.'_ she thought to herself. ' _You're surrounded by a mob of monsters, and all the aggro is on Akane. How would you get out of this?'_ Suddenly the answer hit her. If this were ALO, she'd used illusion magic to get the mobs attention and get away. But this was the real world and magic didn't exist.

But that didn't mean distractions didn't.

"I've got a plan." Lilly grinned, catching Akane's attention. She grabbed Akane's hand and ran back further into the school. "Follow me."

* * *

Strea hummed happily to herself as she skipped out of the school's front gate. She went up to the front gate of the school and waved over to the media people. "Hello there. Did you all come out here for little old me?"

"Excuse me miss, is it true that the famous teen idol Akimi is attending this high school?" one of the journalists asked.

"Akimi?" Strea asked. "Can't say I-" the girl suddenly gasped as she pointed to the distance. "Hey, isn't that Akimi?!"

One or two naive ones out of the group turned their heads, but the majority looked at Strea with an unamused expression. "We're not stupid kid, that's the oldest trick in the book."

Strea pouted at them. She glanced slightly towards the side, seeing their target slip away. ' _Come on. Hurry up.'_

One of the people caught sight of where Strea was looking and followed her line of sight. He gasped when he saw a hooded kid with a schoolbag moving from the side of the school and running across the street. "It's her!"

The hooded student turned towards the media at the outburst and quickly took off running away from them. The paparazzi chased after the student.

"Akimi, please wait!"

"Just a few questions!"

"How long will your hiatus be?!"

Strea watched as the media ran after the girl running away from them. She let out a sigh as she watched them leave. "I hope she'll be alright?"

"I wouldn't worry too much." Rin said as she walked out of the school with Yui. "Lilly's a good runner."

The three girls turned back to the school as Akane walked out. The blonde girl showed an appreciative bow to the three girls. "Thank you again for helping me."

"Don't mention it. Any friend of Lilly's is a friend of ours." Yui assured her.

Akane turned to Rin. "When you see Lilly, can you please tell her I'm sorry that she had to do this?"

Rin nodded her head. "I'll be sure to."

Akane bowed thankfully once again before running off back home before anymore prying eyes could catch sight of her.

* * *

Rin waited by the agreed rendezvous point for her sister. It took awhile, but she finally saw Lilly coming her way in the distance. When she came up to her, it was clear Lilly was exhausted.

"You ok, sis?" Rin asked.

"Yeah." Lilly nodded as she panted. "Man, those media guys didn't let up. I eventually had to show them I wasn't Akimi just to get them to back off." A grin came to Lilly's face. "You shoulda seen their faces when I did though. They were priceless."

"Akimi says thank you, by the way." Rin told her before bringing her sister in for a noogie. "Lucky you, making friends with an idol."

After a bit of struggling, Lilly got her sister off her. "She wasn't anything like I was expecting. I actually really like her as a friend."

"Well she can't keep on hiding forever." Rin pointed out. "Eventually, people are gonna see her on a daily basis."

"It's gonna be tough for her." Lilly agreed. "But that's why I'll be there. As her friend that has her back."

"That's my little sis." Rin grinned. "Now let's get going. Mom's probably worried about us being late by now."

"Right." Lilly nodded as she and her sister headed off back to home.

 **A/N: Hope you all like Akane/Akimi so far. More of her character will be revealed next chapter, so look forward to it.**

 **Also, I doubt I have to say this but just to be safe, yes the title of the book Lilly and Akane were fangirling over was inspired off of the classic Harry Potter series. Personally one of my favorite book series that I've read.**


	38. Akane's Past

**A/N: New trailer for Fatal Bullet came out recently, and this game looks awesome! It seems like it might just be the best one of the SAO game series yet.**

Akane looked at herself in the mirror as she worked on her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror like this, Akane was reminded of being in her dressing room right before a big concert.

" _Akimi! Akimi! Akimi!"_

Akane sighed as she thought back on what had been her life up until a month ago. She loved going up on stage and singing. There was no feeling quite like it. But at the same time, it was all becoming a bit much. Singing was great, but it wasn't the only thing she wanted her life to revolve around.

She stared at herself in the mirror once again. As an idol, she had kept her hair long and flowing. That was part of the reason she had restyled her hair into the two ponytails it was in now. She didn't want people to see her as the idol Akimi. She wanted to be normal again.

"So much for being a regular schoolgirl." Akane sighed to herself.

"Akane? Are you ready? You're going to be late for school at this rate."

"Coming!" Akane called back downstairs. She did the last finishing touches to her hair and quickly ran downstairs. She grabbed her schoolbag and headed out the door. "I'm ready Aunt Mikuru."

A woman in her late twenties came over and looked at the young girl. "You have everything?"

"Yep." Akane nodded. "I've got everything in my bag."

"Good. Have fun at school dear."

"Aunt Mikuru…" Akane said. "Thank you again for letting me stay here for the school year."

Mikuru nodded her head understandingly. "Of course Akane, dear. Anything for my darling little niece."

It had been around the same time that Akane had decided to take a hiatus to go to high school. Ever since becoming an idol two years ago, her education had been more or less homeschooling done by her agency. But she wanted to go to normal school again. Try simply being a regular teenager. Going to school where she used to would be difficult since so many people would recognize her. So for high school, she had decided to go somewhere far away from where she used to live.

Her mother argued against it at first, but Akane had finally managed to convince her. There was a place near her Aunt Mikuru's house, so she had managed to get her permission to stay there while she attended school. But she was still supposed to practice her singing and dancing each day to make sure she didn't get rusty.

Akane turned around and prepared to walk out the door. "Alright, I'm off."

"Be safe." Mikuru told her. "And Akane…"

"Yes?"

"If the media show up to your school again, don't be afraid to call me to come pick you up. I don't want you walking home if you feel it's unsafe."

Akane nodded her head. "I will Aunt Mikuru."

"One more thing." she added. "Try and make some new friends if you can. And if you do and want to spend some time with them after school, don't feel like you have to come home right away."

"But mom said-"

"I know what your mother said. But I don't mind keeping a secret or two from her." the woman said with a wink.

A bright smile came to Akane's face. "Thanks Aunt Mikuru. You're the best."

"And don't you forget it. Now get going, before you end up being late."

Akane nodded her head and headed out the door, closing it behind her. Mikuru watched as her niece ran off towards school through the window of her home. ' _Go get 'em kiddo. Show the world that you're more than just Akimi.'_ She let out a small sigh. ' _Now if only my sister would see that.'_

* * *

Akane walked along the sidewalk as she neared her school. Over by the front gate, she saw the girl she had made friends with yesterday. "Lilly!"

Lilly turned her head and saw Akane running over to her. She waved over to her friend. "Hey Akane!"

As Akane ran up to Lilly, several eyes stared at the duo. Most of the attention was on Akane though, rather than Lilly. Several whispers of gossip spread amongst the students.

"Isn't that Akimi? How'd that girl get so chummy with an idol that quickly?"

"Who is that girl anyway? I don't recognize her."

"I think she's in my class. Her name's Lilly if I remember correctly."

Lilly was out of earshot, so the gossip didn't bother her. "So Akane, how far have you gotten into Goblet of Ice?"

"I read the first few chapters last night." Akane explained. "And it's amazing! I think this is going to be the best book in the series yet!"

"Really?! Oh my gosh, I can't wait to read it!" Lilly squealed excitedly.

Akane giggled at her friend. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind. "Hey Lilly…"

"Yes? What is it?"

"I was wondering… do you want to hang out after school today?" Akane asked. "I'm a bit new here, so I don't know much about the area."

"But didn't you say you had to do singing practice after school each day?"

"Don't worry. I got permission to take a day or two off." Akane told her.

Lilly nodded her head. "Ok, then. I just need to check with my folks if it's ok. I'll get back to you before school's over."

"Got it. See you then Lilly."

Akane and Lilly both went their separate ways as they each headed for homeroom.

School went by normally for Lilly. Although for some reason, she noticed more pairs of eyes on her as the day went on. She could only assume people were still gossiping about how she and Akane were suddenly acting like best friends after such a short time since the idol had come to this school.

It was an odd feeling for Lilly, as she had never exactly been the popular type. She was well known as one of the brightest minds in her class, but that was it. The popular girls were more judged on looks and other trivial stuff. So to finally have so many eyes on her for something outside of grades was a new feeling for her.

At the end of her last class, Lilly walked through the halls, only to be stopped by a sudden grab to her shirt from behind.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Lilly?"

Lilly let out a low groan at who it was. She turned to face another girl who had short black hair, fashionable jewelry and reeked of perfume. It was a student one year above her named Madoka. Two of Madoka's friends were at her side, each with equally condescending grins as Madoka's.

"What do you want?" Lilly asked in an annoyed tone.

"We just wanna talk? There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Madoka said. "Word is you got really chummy with that idol girl Akimi. Is that really true?"

"What if it is?" Lilly asked.

Madoka's smirk grew wider as she took a step forward. "Why don't you introduce us to her. Come on, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Get away from me." Lilly said as she swatted Madoka's hand away. "You're just a bully Madoka, so don't go thinking you can just use me to get what you want all the time."

And with that, Madoka's smile vanished, quickly being replaced with a scowl. She grabbed Lilly and pushed her against the locker. "Listen here. Losers like you exist to help the people whose lives actually matter in this world. Don't act cocky just cause some idol girl took pity on you."

Lilly shot a glare at Madoka. "You don't know the first thing about Akane, yet you go ahead and assume she and I became friends because she took pity on me. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."

"What was that?" Madoka growled. "You wanna say that again you-"

"That's enough Madoka."

The sudden voice cause everyone's heads to turn and see Yui and Strea looking at them with a collective glare. Madoka's actions had also caused several passing by students to watch the ongoing scene as well.

"Tch, the calvary arrives, huh?" Madoka said. "What are you Kirigaya, her bodyguard?"

"No, that would be Rin. And you're lucky she isn't here, or else she wouldn't give you the chance to walk away like I'm doing." Yui told her. "Get lost Madoka. Or do I have to get a teacher?"

Madoka growled in annoyance before backing away from Lilly and walking away, followed by her two friends. Yui and Strea walked up to their friend.

"You alright Lilly?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. Thanks you two." Lilly nodded. "Good thing Rin wasn't here, or we would have had a much bigger incident."

"You're her sister. It's only natural that she'd be protective of you." Yui told her.

"If you really want to thank us though, I guess we could settle for Akimi's autograph." Strea grinned.

Yui quickly grabbed her sister by the ear. "Strea, come on. You know better than that." Yui told her sister. "Anyway, Strea and I are heading home. See you tomorrow."

"See ya." Lilly said as she waved goodbye.

With the quick incident resolved, Lilly continued making her way to the front of the school where Akane was waiting for her. When she arrived, she noticed the blonde girl currently dealing with a male student bowing his head in front of her.

"Please go out with me!" the student said. "I'm a huge fan of yours. Just one date is all I'm asking."

"I-I'm really sorry, but I hardly know you." Akane said nervously, waving her hands in front of her.

' _Oh boy.'_ Lilly thought. ' _Seems I'm not the only one having a day that's filled with drama.'_

The boy left with his head hanging as Akane let out a sigh. Her face brightened however when she saw Lilly. "Hey."

"Haven't seen anyone break a guy's heart that bad except Strea." Lilly said with a grin.

Akane sighed. "I've gotten love letters before as an idol, but having to do it face to face is another thing entirely. It's so awkward."

"Don't worry. They'll learn soon enough." Lilly told her. "Although I guess Strea still gets asked out a lot, so that might be awhile."

Akane let out a moan as she held her head low. "Why can't I just be a normal student?"

"Give it time." Lilly said. "Now come on. My mom said it's okay for you to come over if you want. We can hang at my place after we walk around a bit."

"Really? That's great." Akane said.

"Alright then. Let's get going." Lilly said as she and Akane walked out of the school.

* * *

Lilly showed Akane around the shopping district a bit, giving her a taste of the area. The two girls visited several places, taking the most time over at the bookstore. After an hour or so though, people were starting to recognize Akane, though they couldn't tell from where. Lilly and Akane decided to head out before they realized who Akane was.

Finally the two girls arrived back at Lilly's house. The two of them walked through the front door. "I'm home." Lilly called out.

"Welcome home, Lilly." Alicia greeted from the kitchen. The mother took notice of the girl with her daughter. "Ah, this must be the friend you mentioned, Akane was it?"

Akane nodded and bowed her head to Alicia. "Yes, I'm Akane Migakuri. It's very nice to meet you."

"Oh no, the pleasure's all mine." Alicia said. "Will you be staying for dinner Akane?"

Akane shook her head. "No, I promised my aunt that I'd be home for dinner."

"Alright then. Well you two go have fun."

Lilly and Akane walked upstairs and went to Lilly's room. "Your mom seems nice." Akane said.

"Yeah, she sure is." Lilly said. "She's the one who actually got me into reading in the first place. My mom's an author, so she was always really good at storytelling when Rin and I were little."

"What about your dad? What does he do?"

"He works for RECT Progress." Lilly explained. "It's a big company involved with a lot of virtual stuff nowadays."

"I see…"

"What about you?" Lilly asked. "What do your parents do?"

Almost immediately, Lilly realized that asking that question was a bad idea as she saw Akane frown slightly. "My mom works as my manager. She gets a cut of the money the company makes from my idol work. And my dad… he died five years ago."

Lilly lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

Akane shook her head. "It's fine. You didn't know." The teen let out a sigh as she stared upwards. "My dad was the one who taught me how to sing. He wasn't a professional or anything, but his singing was always so beautiful. I remember how we used to sing together when I was little. Those times were the best." Lilly noticed a small tear run down Akane's cheek. "Then he got into a car crash, and then… he was gone."

Lilly didn't know what to say. It was such a heartbreaking story to hear. "Akane…"

"After he died, things were really tough for me and my mom." Akane explained. "So when I noticed a flyer for a singing competition, I decided to enter it to try and earn some money to help my mom out. I won, and about a month later I got an offer to be an idol. I took it, cause I thought the money would help my mom out more, plus I'd be able to sing much more too."

"That was really nice of you." Lilly said. "I'm sure your mom appreciated the help."

Akane nodded her head. "At first, but… these days it's different. Ever since I started to get popular, my mother became more and more involved with my singing career. Now it's all she ever thinks about. It's never what I want, it's always what will 'promote' me. Finally, it got to the point where I needed a break. So I announced a hiatus while going to school."

"What did your mom say to that?"

"She called me a fool, and said that I was ruining all the hard work I had put into being an idol." Akane said. "I eventually managed to get her to come around… but I think it was more like she found a way to 'sell' the idea of me going to school. So I'm currently staying with my Aunt Mikuru while going to school here."

Lilly frowned as she looked at her friend. "I'm sorry Akane… That must be really hard for you."

"It was my decision though, so I don't regret it." Akane said. "You're really lucky Lilly. You have such a nice mother, and you sound like you and your sister get along well."

"Sisters, actually." Lilly corrected. "I have two siblings."

"Really?" Akane questioned. "Older or younger?"

"Mmmm, it's a bit difficult to explain." Lilly said.

"What do you mean?"

"Here, I'll show you." Lilly said. She went over to the desk in her room and booted up her laptop. "Luna? Are you there?"

"Is that you Lilly?" Luna asked.

Akane jumped back by the sudden voice. "Who was that?"

Soon, a window popped up on Lilly's laptop, showing a video chat with Luna. The little AI girl smiled at her sister. "Hi Lilly."

"Hey Luna. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Lilly said. She moved over so Luna could see Akane in the video. "Akane, this is my sister Luna."

Akane blinked in surprise at what she was looking at. "Umm, Lilly? I think I'm gonna need more of an explanation here."

"I'm an AI." Luna explained. "Lilly and Rin are my big sisters. And my Papa is making me a body so I can be in the real world with them."

Akane looked at Lilly, both surprised and confused by what Luna was saying.

"It's a long story." Lilly explained. "It's a bit different than what you'd expect, but I still consider Luna my sister. So does Rin."

"Are you coming onto ALO, Lilly?" Luna asked.

"Hmmm…" Lilly thought about it for a moment. She turned to Akane. "Do you have an ALO account?"

Akane shook her head. "No. I've actually never used an Amu Sphere. My idol work keeps me too busy for games. I've always wondered what the virtual world was like though."

Suddenly, an idea came to Lilly's mind. A small grin slowly came to her face. "How would you like to try it out?"

 **A/N: Sorry not much happened this chapter, but it was mostly for showing off more of Akane and her past. Next chapter will be Akane's first dive in VR so that'll be... eventful. See you all next week readers.**


	39. Lyra

**A/N: Alright readers. Time to see Akane's first dive into VR. Hope you all like it.**

"There's so many different fairies." Akane said as she looked at the homepage of Alfheim Online's website.

When Lilly had offered to show Akane what virtual reality was like, Akane didn't take much convincing to become interested. The young Hiryo girl had gotten permission from her mother to borrow her Amu Sphere for Akane to use for her first dive. But before they could dive in, Akane first had to make a Seed account, and decide on what race she would play as.

"There's nine races in total." Lilly explained. "Each of them have different things they specialize in. For example, I'm a Cait Sith. We specialize in beast taming."

"Beast taming?" Akane asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah, it's a skill that allows players to befriend weaker monsters and have them fight alongside you."

"That sounds cool."

"Yeah, but each race has their own unique trait, so it's best to decide what you're going for before you make your avatar. You can't change its race after it's made so that's one of the most important decisions."

Akane scrolled through the list of fairy races as she looked at each one. Finally she stopped as her eyes caught sight of one race in particular. "Why doe this one have a bunch of musical notes in the background?"

"That's a Pooka." Lilly explained. "Pookas specialize in musical magic. It can provide buffs, or give other special boosts to party members."

"Musical magic…" Akane mumbled as she thought.

"You like it?" Lilly asked.

Akane thought to herself a bit. "I mean it'd be cool to be something that specializes in singing. But at the same time, I feel like I should try something different from how I am in the real world."

"I see." Lilly said. "There's nothing wrong with that, but at the same time you should make sure you don't try to become someone else entirely. It may be a game in another world, but it's always important to stay true to yourself." A grin was seen on her face. "Or at least that's what my dad said when Rin and I started playing this game."

"Always stay true to yourself…" Akane said.

"You said you like singing, didn't you?"

Lilly's words struck a cord within Akane. The thought of a whole other world made her think of an opportunity to escape being Akimi. Escape all of the spotlights and the media and everything else. But if she separated herself entirely from that aspect of herself, it would be throwing away the thing she loved most. The thing that connected her to her father.

"I've decided." Akane said. "I'm gonna go with this Pokky race." A giggle from Lilly caught her attention. "What?"

"It's Pooka, not Pooky." Lilly giggled.

Akane showed an embarrassed blush, but still managed to let out a small giggle herself. After creating a Seed Account for Akane, Lilly closed her laptop and the two girls got ready to dive. Lilly laid on her bed while Akane sat on a cushion in the room.

"So you'll meet me once I log in."

"It'll take me a bit to get to Pooka territory." Lilly explained. "But I should be there by the time you've done the flight tutorial."

"Flight tutorial?" Akane questioned. "What's that?"

A grin came to Lilly's face. "That's a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see."

Akane felt somewhat unnerved by what Lilly said, but decided to find out for herself as she fit the Amu Sphere around her head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, entering the virtual world.

"Link Start!"

* * *

The initial blur of various colors had surprised Akane at first, but she settled down quickly. After confirming her username and password, the word 'Welcome to Alfheim Online' were revealed.

When the whiteness was gone, Akane found herself in a simple round room with a console in front of her. When she touched it, a window appeared in front of her, asking to enter her desired name.

' _A name, huh?'_ Akane thought. ' _Lilly told me she just went with her real name. But should I do the same?'_ The blonde haired girl thought deeply to herself. ' _It should be something catchy, something that works for me. In that case, it should be music related. Melody? No, that's probably been done before. What else is music related? Lyrics? But how could I turn that into- Wait that's it!'_

Akane typed on the window, entering her name. Lyra. A mix of the first three letters of the word "lyrics" with the first letter of her name.

Once she confirmed her name, a selection of the nine races appeared. She scrolled past them, selecting Pooka. A female voice talked out from somewhere. "You have selected Pooka. Are you sure?" Once Akane hit 'Yes', everything around her disappeared. "Your appearance will be generated randomly, and you will begin at the capital city of your home race. Good luck player."

Akane's vision became white again. The first sensation she felt was the wind blowing her hair back.

' _That's a really strong gust.'_ Akane thought. ' _It must be really windy in Pooka territory.'_

More sensations struck Akane one after another though as her vision slowly cleared up. She quickly realized it wasn't a strong breeze that made it feel so windy, it was the fact that she was falling from the sky.

"Ahhhhhh! Wh-What the hell is going on?!" Akane screamed, flailing around as she fell. "Lilly! Somebody! Help me!"

All of a sudden, Akane stopped falling, coming to a halt. Akane breathed heavily as she stared down at the ground below her. That would be a very long fall if she started descending again. Looking at her back, Akane saw the reason she had stopped falling, the two green wings sprouting from her back. She also noticed some sort of controller in her left hand.

Before Akane could ask what was going on, the same voice from before spoke to her. "This is the controlled flight tutorial. Please follow these instructions to learn how to fly using your controller."

' _Ok… this must be that tutorial thing Lilly mentioned.'_ Akane thought. ' _That Lilly… She knew this was coming and didn't warn me! I am so getting her back for this later!.'_

Akane followed the instructions given to her, performing various basic flight patterns. She managed to quickly get the hang of it, more or less.

"You have now completed the Controlled Flight Tutorial." the voice said. "You will now be teleported to your home race's capital city."

Once again, Akane felt herself teleport as light surrounded her. Eventually, the sound of people talking caught her attention, causing her to slowly open her eyes. When she did, Akane was left speechless.

It really was like a whole other world, but it seemed so lifelike. Buildings shot up around her. Fairies that she could only assume were other players walked through the streets around her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, almost to the point of being overwhelming.

"Did you manage to clear that quest you mentioned?"

"Hey, how about we go to that new shop. I hear they've got some sweet items."

"Ugh, my magic skill is too low. I'm never gonna clear that dungeon at this rate."

Akane slowly began to wander around. She had never expected it to feel so real, even though Lilly had told her as much. It really was as if she had been transported to another world. It felt a little weird moving at first, considering there were some slight differences between her avatar and real body, but she managed to adjust enough to walk normally.

Walking over to a nearby fountain, Akane stared into the water and looked at her reflection. She had short, curly silver hair and emerald green eyes. Her face seemed a bit different, but close enough to her real self that it wasn't entirely gone.

Suddenly, Akane heard a shout. "Akane! Hey Akane! You here?!" She turned and saw a female player shouting out her name, one that bared somewhat of a resemblance to Lilly.

"Lilly!" Akane called out, waving so her friend could hear her. "Over here!"

The female player looked over towards her and smiled, running over to her friend. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost or something." She eyed her friend up and down. "So this is what your avatar looks like, huh. Not bad. So what did you use as your name?"

"Lyra." Akane said. "I thought it would fit well."

"Lyra… Sounds like a good name to me." Lilly said. "Ok then, Lyra it is. You don't have to worry about my name though, it's the same as in the real world."

Lyra took a close look at Lilly's avatar, checking it out completely. Her eyes stopped when she saw the cat ears on top of the girl's head. "Are those some sort of accessory you can get in here?" Lyra asked, pointing to the ears.

Lilly's ears twitched as she looked up at them. "These? No, they're real. Every Cait Sith has cat ears and a tail." She swayed her tail out, showing it off to her friend.

Lyra instantly reached out and petted Lilly's cat ears. "They're so cute! Oh my gosh, and so soft too!" She moved over behind Lilly and petted the tail. "The tail's just as soft too!"

"Gyah!" Lilly exclaimed as she jumped and moved away, grabbing her tail. "Don't do that! Our tails are really sensitive!"

"S-Sorry." Lyra apologized. "It's just you look so cute Lilly!"

Lilly let out a nervous laugh, both at the fact that she was being treated almost like some sort of pet, as well as the fact that their conversation was gathering the attention of several players.

Suddenly, Luna flew out of Lilly's pocket and landed on her shoulder. "So what are we doing first, Lilly?"

"Woah!" Lyra exclaimed, jumping back in surprise. "What is that?!"

"Who, her? This is Luna. You saw her before, remember?" Lilly explained.

Lilly waved at the Pooka. "Hi Lyra. I'm Luna."

Taking another look, Lyra recognized the girl based on her face. "But when we were talking to her earlier, she wasn't dressed like this. And she wasn't this small, was she?"

"It's a bit complicated." Lilly explained. "Basically Luna here can change between human form, and the form you see here now, also known as a Navigation Pixie."

Lyra slowly tried to wrap her head around everything. Between meeting Lilly's AI sister, and this whole new virtual world, today had been a lot more eventful than she had been expecting.

"So what do we do now?" Lyra asked.

"Hmm… Well you should start with a tutorial quest, I suppose." Lilly said. "There should be something in your quest log. Open up your menu and see what it says."

"Right. Menu… umm…" Lyra looked around her field of sight, not seeing anything that looked like a menu tab.

Lilly let out a sigh. It seemed she was going to have to teach her everything in the most literal sense possible. "Put your left index finger and thumb together and swipe down."

Lyra did as she was told and a window popped up in front of her. Lilly directed her to her quest log, which read that she needed to talk to the guard by the east gate.

"Well there's our client for the quest." Lilly said. "It shouldn't be too hard to do whatever he asks you, but I'll be with you to help you out. You ready?"

Lyra nodded her head excitedly. "Yeah. Let's get going."

* * *

After talking to the NPC guard specified, Lilly and Lyra went together to complete Lyra's tutorial quest. It was a very simple quest, killing a horde of monsters common in the fields outside of the Pooka capital. Lilly stayed back and watched Lyra fight the monsters, coaching her as she did so.

It was clear almost instantly how tough of a job coaching would be.

"Keep your footing steady! You'll get knocked off your feet with a weak stance like that!" Lilly told her.

"R-Right!" Lyra said as she stared down the monster in front of her. She held her sword tightly as ran in and swung it. "Take this!"

Lilly watched as the boar Lyra was fighting easily knocked her off balance by swinging its tusks up. She and Luna both cringed as Lyra took another hit, knocking down her HP even further.

"She's doing quite poorly." Luna mentioned.

"You can say that again." Lilly said. "I doubted she was going to be an expert, but this is pretty bad."

"Lilly! Help!" Lyra exclaimed as she ran from the boar.

Lilly let out a sigh as she drew her sword. "Guess I better step in."

Lyra ran as fast as she could with the boar right on her tail. Suddenly, a figure raced past her and slashed through the boar, killing it with one hit. Lyra turned and saw Lilly standing where the boar had just been moments ago.

"Phew, that was close." Lyra said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Ok so close range combat is out for you." Lilly said as she walked over to her friend. "You're not going to damage anything fighting like that."

"Sorry Lilly." Lyra frowned. "I'm just not good at this."

"Hey, don't worry, it's alright." Lilly assured her. "There's more than one way to fight. If you can't fight short range, then we'll try long range."

"Long range? You mean like that magic stuff you mentioned earlier?" Lyra asked.

"Exactly." Lilly nodded. "Pooka magic is mostly used for buffing allies, but you should still have access to an offensive spell or two. Check out your skill list."

Lyra did as she was told, and Lilly helped her look through her current arsenal of magic. There was one healing spell, one buff spell, and one attack spell. The two girls worked out a strategy where Lilly would distract the monsters and fight them at close range while Lyra attacked with her spell.

The difference in Lyra's ability with magic compared to her ability with a sword was dramatic. With Lyra staying back where it was safe, she didn't have to worry about being attacked and messing up. She would chant the spell, give Lilly a warning shout, and fire the spell while Lilly moved out of the way. Rinse and repeat.

Before long, there was only one more boar left to kill for the quest to be completed. Lilly blocked its tusks back with her sword while Lyra began the incantation of her spell.

"Pier slita fimm groenn vindr" As she finished and five large needles manifested before her, she called out to her friend. "Lilly!"

"On it!" Lilly shouted back. She hit the boar back and jumped out of the way as the needles flew past her, impaling the boar. The monster let out a cry as it shattered into fragments.

"We did it!" Lyra cheered happily as she ran over to Lilly. "We really did it!"

"Hey, easy there Lyra." Lilly said, but she couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm. "This was the basic of the basics when it comes to fighting monsters. You'll need to get a lot better before you can fight real enemies."

As Lyra moved away from Lilly, a window popped up in front of her, giving her the rewards from the quest. "Huh. It says I got something called EXP Potion."

"Yeah, that's the reward for all the tutorial quests for the races." Lilly explained. "It doubles the experience you get when fighting monsters for a period of time. It's a useful item, and one that's hard to find outside of this quest." She stretched her arms up. "Well I'd say that's good enough for you to get the feel of a VRMMO. What do you say we head back to town and logout?"

Lyra nodded her head in agreement and the two girls began their journey back to the town.

As they walked, Lilly and Lyra talked about various things regarding Alfheim Online. The more Lilly explained, the more amazed Lyra was at how vast the virtual world was. She also had to appreciate the detail and beauty of the world. The vast field of flowers that stretched out as they walked along the path to town.

"Since you're a Pooka Lyra, I'd suggest you try and work at being a support role." Lilly explained. "It'll allow you to stay in the back, and you can help boost your party members to help them win."

"Sorry. If only I was a better fighter." Lyra frowned.

"Don't be sorry. Close range combat isn't for everyone. One of my friends plays support too and she's great at it." Lilly said. "It's an essential member for any party."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. The support member allows the rest of the party to fight freely, without having to worry about their HP." Lilly explained. Suddenly, something caught the Cait Sith's attention as she stopped walking.

Lyra took notice of her friend and stopped as well. "Lilly? What's wrong?"

"Stay on your toes, Lyra." Lilly whispered. "We're surrounded."

"Huh?!" Lyra gasped, as she looked around her and Lilly. "But there's nobody here?"

Several dark chuckles soon proved her wrong however. One by one, several players came into view, seemingly out of nowhere. As Lilly looked around, she counted seven in total.

"Well lookie what we have here. A couple of suckers walking right into our lap." one of the players chuckled.

"Wh-Who are you people?" Lyra asked.

"A PKer group." Lilly told her. "They were waiting for us, hiding here using concealment magic. If I had to guess, they target new players specifically."

"Very perceptive." another one of the players grinned. "We'll be taking those EXP potions you girls got."

"Today's our lucky day. We got a newbie and a regular player here." a third said. "The cat girl probably has some good stuff I bet."

The PKers slowly closed in on Lilly and Lyra. Lyra shivered in fear. "Wh-What do we do, Lilly?"

A smirk came to Lilly's face. "Don't worry Lyra. I've got this." She glanced at Luna on her shoulder. "Hey Luna, time this for me. I want to see how long it takes me to get them running away."

"You got it, sis." Luna said with a salute.

As Lilly stepped forward, one of the PKers narrowed their eyes. "Hey boss, I think I've seen this girl from somewhere before."

The player who seemed to be the leader, a Gnome with a large axe on his back, scoffed at his underling's concern. "Who cares? It's one freaking mage. Kill her."

Altogether, the six players charged at Lilly. The Cait Sith showed no concern as she quickly chanted out the words for her Element Pistol spell. By the time she finished, one of the players was right in front of her, holding a curved blade in his hands.

"Die!"

"Lilly!" Lyra exclaimed.

With one swift motion, Lilly dodged the player's blade and swung herself up on top of him, balancing her hand on top of his head. She sprung off and snapped her fingers, letting loose a blast of fire that took out the player instantly. Lilly drew her sword and parried the attack of the next player that attacked her, following up with a sword skill that ripped through his avatar. Not even having to look behind her for the next one attacking her from the back, Lilly backflipped over him and threw her sword at him, piercing his head. She yanked the blade out just as the player burned away into a remain light and turned towards Lyra, where two more of the PKers were going for.

"Lyra, duck!" Lilly ordered.

Lyra did as she was told as Lilly sent two blasts from her Element Pistol firing right into the two players. Other than the boss of the group, there was only one player left.

"B-Boss, I recognize her now! She was with that team that got second place in the Annual Tournament!" the player gasped.

"What?!" the leader gasped.

"Lilly of Team Black Firestorm. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Lilly smirked as she walked towards the two players. "So which of you wants to get burned to ash first?"

The two players slowly stepped back as Lilly made her way towards them. Soon, the underling turned tail and ran away. Lilly lined him up quickly and sent a blast of fire at him, turning him into a remain light with one shot.

"Damn you…" the leader growled. He tightened his grip on his axe and charged in. "You'll pay for this, girlie!"

Lilly smirked as she swung her sword up, knocking back the axe user. He gasped in shock at the difference in strength. "But how?!"

"Cowards like you only prey on the weak because you're also weak." Lilly explained. "Real players actually train and hone their skills to get better. That's why even with my STR stat, I was able to parry your axe." Lilly aimed her fingers at the PKer. "Sorry pal. Better luck next time."

One last snap of her finger was all it took for Lilly to finish off the Gnome before walking back over to Lyra. "So Luna, what was my time?"

"Twenty-two seconds." the AI replied.

Lyra was in awe of what she just witnessed. "Lilly… that was… how did you do that?! That was amazing!"

"Oh, nothing special. Just something you get used to after playing VR games for awhile." Lilly giggled. "Trust me, once you've been playing for a bit you'll be able to move like that too. Speaking of which…" a mischievous grin came to Lilly's lips. "What did you think of flying so far?"

Lyra's mind instantly went back to the flight tutorial. "It was scary as hell at first. When I was falling in the beginning, I thought I was gonna crash into the ground."

"Well then, let's get you some more practice." Lilly suggested. "Bring your wings out."

Lyra obeyed and her two green wings sprouted out from her back, as well as the controller in her hands. Lilly did the same, though Lyra noticed the lack of the controller for her. "Where's your controller."

"Don't need it." Lilly grinned. "It's actually possible to fly in this game without the controller. It allows you to go faster too."

"Really?" Lyra asked in surprise. "How?"

Lilly walked around Lyra and touched a spot on her back. "You feel this spot, right here? Try imagining you have virtual bones and muscles coming out from there."

Lyra nodded her head. "Ok, I'll try." The Pooka put all of her focus into making her wings move. However, they were barely twitching with her efforts. "Lilly I don't think I-"

"Here!" Lilly shouted as she smacked her friend in the back.

"W-W-Wooaaah!" Lyra exclaimed as she suddenly shot up into the air. She flew around wildly, completely out of control for her movements. "Lilly! What did you do?!"

"I got you flying, silly!" Lilly called back. ' _Although, getting her to steady out is gonna be another thing entirely.'_

Lyra looped around, completely out of control. Lilly flew up and tried to help her steady out. It took a couple minutes, but Lyra was finally able to somewhat control herself while flying. Lilly flew at her side as they slowly made their way through the air back to town.

"You getting the hang of it?" Lilly asked.

"A little." Lyra nodded. "But I don't think I'll be able to fly fast anytime soon."

"Just take it one step at a time." Lilly said.

After a few minutes of flying, Lilly suggested they take a quick break. The two girls landed near a lake with an open field around it. The water was crystal clear. No one else was around, letting them relax with the serene breeze.

"This world really is amazing." Lyra said. "It's so beautiful."

"It really is." Lilly agreed.

As they sat on the grass, a peaceful smile came to Lyra's face. She closed her eyes and softly began to sing.

 _You gave me words of kindness_

 _You held me when I was lonely_

 _Sad things happened_

 _But together we shared_

 _the joy of early spring_

 _I searched for the words that I wanted to leave behind_

 _for someone far away_

 _Before my time ended_

 _I simply repeated "Thank you"_

 _I hope that's the only thing_

 _that reaches your heart_

 _May my heart_

 _soar far through the sky_

 _and convey my smile to you_

 _A warmth_

 _that feels like the last traces_

 _of the fading spring_

 _If I can quietly_

 _just leave that inside of you_

 _I'll smile for you_

A sense of serenity and peace overcame Lilly and Luna as they listened to Lyra sing. "That was beautiful." Luna said.

"Thanks." Lyra said. "It was one of my favorite songs to sing with my dad."

Lilly frowned slightly, reminded of the fact that Lyra's father was gone. She couldn't even imagine how hard such a thing must have been for her.

"I'm sure he's looking down at you and smiling." Lilly said. "He's proud of you, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Lilly." Lyra said. She got up from her seating position. "Now let's head back to town."

It didn't take much longer for the two girls to make it back to the Pooka capital. When they did, Lilly quickly found them a cheap in to sleep in and logout.

* * *

After the two girls returned to the real world, they removed the Amu Spheres from their heads. Looking at the time, Akane saw that she needed to start heading home. She thanked Lilly for the fun time and began making her way back home.

Akane considered it a blessing when she managed to reach her aunt's house without running into any paparazzi. She walked in through the door and called out to her aunt. "I'm home!"

"You were sure out for awhile." Mikuru said, coming into the hall to greet her niece.

"Yeah, I was hanging out with a friend." Akane explained.

"So you made a friend? That's good to hear." her aunt said with a smile. "Let's hope you can make even more friends at your school."

Akane nodded her head. "I'll try my best."

"Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes." Mikuru said as Akane ran upstairs. The woman smiled as she saw how cheerful and happy Akane seemed. ' _It seems you've made one great friend Akane. Keep up the good work kiddo.'_

 **A/N: So what does everyone think about Akane so far? She won't be a main character, but I do plan to have her appear every now and then. Next chapter is going to focus on another one of the group. I think you'll all enjoy what happens.**

 **Also quick disclaimer, the song Lyra sang was Smile For You from the Ordinal Scale movie.**


	40. Stalker

**A/N: So don't know how I forgot to mention this last chapter, but for those of you that haven't heard yet, SAO Season 3 was recently officially announced (though it was heavily hinted at already) and we're also getting another SAO anime based in GGO. I hope you're all as excited as I am for this upcoming year.**

The school bell ringing signaled the end of the day as Sayaka walked out of class. She was a diligent student, able to do at least average in just about everything except gym. She wasn't much of an athlete, but she kept a decent figure.

"Hey Sayaka. You free to hang out today?" one of her friends asked as she passed by them in the hallway.

Sayaka shook her head. "No, sorry. I have to help out my mother at the store today."

"Aww" the girl moaned disappointingly. "Alright then. See you later."

"See you." Sayaka waved as she went to her locker.

At her locker, Sayaka grabbed her things and prepared to head home for the day. As she closed her locker back up, she couldn't help but sense the feeling of someone watching her. She looked around her, but all she saw were students walking through the halls on their way home.

' _I'm probably just imagining things.'_ she thought to herself as she headed to the front gate of the school.

Sayaka's mother Rika owned a small antique store nearby their house. Sayaka tended to have a lot of free time after school, so she often helped her mother out at the store.

The town Sayaka lived in wasn't a very busy city, but she liked it that way. Things were nice and peaceful. It was the perfect town for small shops, like the antique store her mother owned too.

As she walked the streets and slowly made her way to the store, Sayaka once again got the same chilling feeling as before. She turned around quickly, but once again there was no one out of the ordinary there. Just everyday people walking the streets.

' _Ok, now this is starting to get really weird.'_ Sayaka thought as she turned around again and continued walking to the store.

Almost immediately, she felt the same feeling all over again. Her body tensed up as she continued walking. What was going on? Were her instincts from ALO just going out of control? It would make sense. But this feeling felt too real. It was as if someone was following her.

And then she suddenly felt as if that person was breathing down her back.

"Gyah!" Sayaka exclaimed as she turned around in fright. Her eyes blinked in surprise however as she once again saw that no one was there. But there were definitely people watching her now, as he outburst had caused several people to stare at her.

"S-Sorry!" Sayaka apologized with a red blush on her face before turning back and running to her destination.

The rest of her trip back home, Sayaka cursed herself out for acting so stupid. Her paranoia had caused a scene, and being the center of attention was something she hated. Her nervousness would always explode in situations like that.

When Sayaka finally walked through the entrance to the store, her mother greeted her. "Perfect timing Sayaka. Do you think you could work the register? One of the workers called in sick, and I've been swamped all day."

Sayaka nodded her head. "Sure thing mom. Just let me get dressed."

As Sayaka walked to the back, her mother noticed something was off about her. "Sayaka dear, are you alright?"

"Huh?!" Sayaka asked. "O-Of course mom. Wh-Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Rika narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go. "Alright then, if you say so. Just remember, you can always come to me if there's something bothering you."

Sayaka nodded her head and walked into the back to change into clothes for work. It wasn't anything special, just an apron over her school uniform. As she worked at the register, she went into the group text with her friends after seeing a message from Tetsuya.

 _Anyone free to hang out?_

Sayaka sent a message back, saying she was busy at the store. A few of the others also texted that they wouldn't be free, including Naoki.

 _Sry man, can't today. Saw this sweet looking blonde at my school. Gonna work my moves on her. -Naoki_

Almost immediately, a response came from Rin. _Send us a pic when she slaps you across the face. -Rin_

 _Seriously man, you gotta stop acting like such a perv. It's gonna get you into trouble one day. -Tetsuya_

 _Come on Tets, why can't you just have my back bro? -Naoki_

 _Because he's smart, that's why. -Yui_

 _Come on guys, let's give Naoki some support -Strea_

 _Thank you! - Naoki_

 _After all, it'll be that much funnier when he fails miserably. -Strea_

… _Guess I walked right into that one. -Naoki_

 _Lol -Rin_

 _In all honesty, you need to control yourself. People are gonna mistake you for some creepy stalker. -Lilly_

The last text got Sayaka's attention, making her think back to her walk home. ' _Stalker. Is that what's happening to me?'_ Sayaka decided to get the opinion of her friends over what had happened.

 _Hey guys, something weird happened to me while walking home from school. -Sayaka_

 _Weird? Weird how? -Yui_

 _It felt like someone was watching and following me, but whenever I turned around there was no one there. -Sayaka._

 _That IS weird. -Lilly_

 _Maybe our resident pervert was there. -Rin_

 _Oh come on Rin! Just because my school lets out before hers doesn't mean I'd hightail it over and shadow her home. -Naoki_

 _You mean like a ninja? Cause that'd actually be pretty cool. -Strea_

 _In all seriousness, you're probably just being paranoid. But stay alert, just to be safe. -Yui_

Sayaka thought about Yui's advice. She texted back saying she'd be careful before putting her phone away as a customer walked through the door.

The rest of the day, Sayaka helped out her mother at the store, working the register. As she did, she couldn't help but think back to what her friends had said. Was she just worrying over nothing? Or was there something else going on?

Once the time came to close up, Rika drove herself and Sayaka home. They ate dinner with Sayaka's father Yuya and then the girl spent the rest of the night before bed doing homework.

* * *

 _-The next day-_

Finally it was the weekend. Sayaka had managed to finish most of her homework last night, so she had most of the weekend free to do whatever she wanted.

"Sayaka." Rika called out. "Do you think you could go to the store a pick up some eggs for me sometime today?"

"Sure thing mom." Sayaka called back. "I can go now if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful. Thanks Sayaka dear, you're the best."

Sayaka walked out of the house and started to make her way to the store in the shopping district of the town. The weather was very nice, so it was the perfect day for a walk anyway.

As the tan-haired girl got away from her house, she felt a similar sensation to that of yesterday. ' _Not again.'_ she thought. Her body tensed up as she kept looking to her right and left as she walked. If she stayed like this the entire trip, there was no way she'd be able to relax.

"Hey Sayaka."

"Aiye!" Sayaka screamed as she turned around to the sudden voice that came from behind her and slapped its owner as hard as she could. When she opened her eyes, she saw the identity of the person holding their cheek in pain and gasped. "Naoki?!"

"Ow… Damn that hurt…" Naoki grunted. "If you hit that hard, maybe my old man wasn't kidding about your mom's brute strength after all."

"What are you doing here Naoki?" Sayaka asked.

"Well when you mentioned about that possible stalker yesterday, I thought I'd come help by hanging with you for the day." Naoki explained. "I was on my way to your house when I saw you. I came up and called your name, only to get slapped in the face instead of a "Hello"."

Sayaka blushed embarrassingly as she bowed her head over and over again. "I'm so sorry, Naoki! It was an accident! You just startled me is all!"

Naoki took another few seconds to get over the pain flaring up from his cheek. Even after he finally did, a slight red imprint could be seen on his face.

"So, got anything planned for the day?" Naoki asked.

"Well, I was going to go buy some eggs for my mom." Sayaka explained. "After that though…" the girl thought to herself about what to do.

A grin came to Naoki's face. "Well if you can't think of anything, you could always show me some of the cool hangout places around your town. Bet there's tons of girls there, maybe some of your friends."

Sayaka narrowed her eyes at him. "You just want to flirt, don't you?"

"Wh-What? How could you possibly think that?" Naoki asked. "I was just… uh… thinking that more friends would mean more protection from this possible stalker! Yeah, that's it!"

Sayaka let out a sigh. Naoki would always be Naoki after all, nothing she could do about that. She decided to just take what she could and go with it. At the very least, having a friend she knew around her would help her feel more at ease.

It didn't take long for Sayaka and Naoki to reach the market. She quickly bought her eggs and went on her way back home with Naoki in tow.

When the twosome returned to Sayaka's house, Sayaka walked in while Naoki stood by the front door. "I got the eggs for you mom."

"Wonderful. Thanks Sayaka." her mother told her gratefully. "Just leave the receipt by the counter. I'll pay you the money back later tonight."

"Got it." she said as she walked back to the door. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out for the day. I'll be with Naoki."

"Naoki?" Rika said curiously. She came over to the hallway, and saw her daughter with the red-haired boy next to her daughter at the front door.

"Yo, Mrs. Kori." Naoki greeted with a wave.

Rika walked up and stared at the boy with narrow eyes. "Listen here, Gekido. If my daughter comes back home with a single scratch on her and I find out that you were the cause, there's gonna be hell to pay, got that?"

Naoki sweated nervously as he nodded his head. "C-Crystal ma'am."

Sayaka pouted at her mother. "Mom! Come on, can you not act like Naoki is the devil?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt Sayaka." her mother said. "And your friend here is going to make sure she doesn't, _right_?"

Once again, Naoki feverishly nodded his head. "Y-You got it, Mrs. Kori!"

"Good." Rika said. "Now go have fun sweetheart."

The door closed and Sayaka and Naoki looked at each other before walking off.

"You're mom really doesn't like me, does she?" Naoki asked.

"I think it's more that she doesn't like your dad." Sayaka said.

Naoki let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'll bet. He pretty much feels the same way about her. I don't think I've ever seen them in the same room together and not be at each other's throats."

"So…" Naoki said as he and Sayaka walked. "Those hangout places?"

Sayaka showed a small smile. "Sure, let's get going."

* * *

"Strea, remind me again why we're doing this?"

"Because shadowing people like ninjas is awesome. Duh."

Yui sighed as she and Strea walked together. Having known Strea for most of the girl's life, Yui knew that her sister had a tendency to easily get… excited. But it was times like these that Yui's role of an older sibling keeping their younger sibling out of trouble was put to the test.

Ever since yesterday, Strea had been thinking about the trouble Sayaka was facing. But even more so, she was thinking about the idea that had come to her mind. Keeping to the shadows. Moving without a sound. Total ninja badassery.

Oh and making sure Sayaka was safe too. That was in her list of reasons somewhere.

"Strea, if you keep this up, Sayaka's going to think YOU'RE the the one stalking her." Yui said.

"Not stalking Yui. Shadowing. Two completely different things."

"How?!"

"Simple. Stalking is creepy and weird. Shadowing like a ninja sounds so badass."

Yui groaned as she facepalmed herself. "If you want to act like a ninja, you could always buy that Japanese Feudal Era VRMMO game that came out recently."

"Yeah but there's tons of ninjas in there. It's not special."

' _Why do I even bother?'_ Yui asked herself. All she could do at this point was go with Strea and make sure her antics were kept to a minimum. Besides, at least this way, they'd be there if something actually did happen.

"Bingo! Found her!" Strea said suddenly, grabbing Yui by the arm and pulling her behind a tree. The chestnut haired girl poked her head out and looked over by where she had spotted Sayaka. "Alright now we just follow her and… What do we have here?" A grin slowly came to Strea's face as she saw the company Sayaka had with her. "Seems I just hit the jackpot of juicy info. What could Naoki be doing with Sayaka?"

"Strea…"

"Silence Yui! You'll blow our cover!"

Yui narrowed her eyes, looking around at the fact that their suspicious behavior was already starting to get people to look their way. "I think you've already got that covered, sis."

* * *

"I was so close Sayaka. Just a little more, and I would have had her."

"I think a little more and you would have gotten hit with a restraining order."

Naoki and Sayaka walked together, having visited three different popular spots in town already. In each place, Naoki had tried out his "charms" to woo over some girl or another. And in each place, the redhead had failed miserably.

"I don't get it. What am I doing wrong." Naoki questioned. "You're from around here Sayaka, what do the girls here look for in a guy?"

Sayaka let out a sigh as she patted her friend on the back. "You'll find someone Naoki. They just don't get how… unique you are."

Naoki thought to himself on how he could work on his charms. Maybe mix things up a little? As he contemplated, he noticed Sayaka suddenly turn stiff. "Sayaka? What's wrong? You alright?"

"It's that same feeling again." Sayaka said as she shivered. "I can't explain it, but I feel like somebody's watching me."

"Really?" Naoki asked. He looked around them. There were people walking around, but nobody watching them in particular. "I don't see anyone."

Despite that fact, Sayaka still couldn't shake the nervousness she was feeling. It was like a sixth sense or something. Finally Naoki grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Follow me, I have an idea."

"Huh? N-Naoki?!" Sayaka blushed as she followed him around a corner. Before she could say anything, Naoki covered her mouth and signalled for her to be quiet. The twosome stayed silent and listened. Slowly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming up by the corner. Naoki saw a shadow stretching out from the other side, not moving.

Naoki brought both of his hands out and with no warning, performed a loud and powerful clap. The sudden noise startled the person on the other side of the corner, causing them to trip and fall over.

"W-Woah!" a boy gasped as he fell onto the sidewalk. As he got up, he saw Naoki and Sayaka looking down at him.

"Hey buddy." Naoki said with a sly grin. "Looks like somebody's busted."

"Th-This isn't what it looks like!" the boy exclaimed as he waved his arms up in defense.

Naoki narrowed his eyes. "Oh really? Then why don't you tell me what it is. Cause it looks to me like you've been stalking Sayaka here."

"W-Well I-I… umm…"

Sayaka looked at the boy with a scowl. "You were stalking me yesterday too, weren't you?"

"I… I…" the boy was left speechless. Finally, he surprised both Naoki and Sayaka as he suddenly bowed onto the ground. "Sayaka Kori! Please go on a date with me!"

Sayaka's cheeks blushed a deep shade of red at the sudden words. "Wh-What?!"

"I've liked you for so long now! Please! I promise I'll make you happy!"

Naoki looked back and forth between Sayaka and the mysterious boy. This was not how he had expected his day going when he woke up.

Sayaka didn't know what to say to the sudden proposal. "I… But I don't even know you…"

"That doesn't matter! I've stared at you from afar for far too long! I have to tell you how I feel!"

Sayaka quickly shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you. I… I…" Sayaka desperately looked for an excuse to get the complete stranger away. Finally, she said the only thing she could come up with as she locked herself around Naoki's arm. "I'm already in a relationship with this person right here!"

"What?!" Naoki exclaimed.

The boy blinked his eyes in surprise as he looked at Naoki. "Him? He's your boyfriend?"

Sayaka feverishly nodded her head. "Yes. We're very happy together." She look at Naoki's eyes. "Isn't that right, hun?"

Naoki suddenly found himself to be the one blushing as he was thrust into such an awkward position out of nowhere. Sayaka stared at him pleadingly as he wondered what to do.

Finally, Naoki nodded his head. "Y-Yep. That's right. I'm Sayaka's boyfriend here."

The boy looked at the two of them, not entirely sure of what to make of them. Naoki sweated nervously, praying that he'd buy it and walk away. But even he had to admit, he and Sayaka didn't very much look like a couple right now.

And that was when things suddenly got a whole lot weirder.

"Prove it!" a sudden voice shouted.

All three heads turned to see Strea shouting those words from across the street. Yui was also there, hiding behind a mailbox, clearly not wanting any part of this awkward situation.

"Strea?!" Naoki exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Prove it!" Strea shouted. "Kiss her and prove that you're dating!"

Naoki and Sayaka both blushed even harder as the sudden request was given out to them. Strea winked at the duo, as if to say " _I've got your back."_ , though her actions were showing anything but that.

The boy nodded his head in agreement. "Y-Yeah! If you're really Sayaka's boyfriend, then kiss her and prove it!"

' _How the hell did I end up in this mess?'_ Naoki asked himself. He quickly tried to look for a way out of this. He wanted to help Sayaka as a friend, but if he kissed her suddenly, then things would get really awkward between them, not to mention the beating he'd probably get from Rin later. The awkward tension filled the air until something completely unexpected happened.

Out of nowhere, Sayaka grabbed Naoki and pressed her lips against his.

Naoki widened his eyes in shock as Sayaka kissed him on the lips. Yui caught sight of the moment and gasped in shock, while Strea just grinned to herself. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, before Sayaka finally pulled away.

"Th-There, see! We kissed, so he's my boyfriend!" Sayaka said.

The boy didn't know what to say. After a few seconds of silence he lowered his head. "I see…" Slowly, he turned around and walked away in defeat.

Left alone again, Naoki was still blushing after the sudden kiss from Sayaka. The tan haired girl however seemed to be blushing even harder than he was. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"Sayaka…" Naoki said. "What was-"

"I'm sorry!" Sayaka suddenly exclaimed before running away from the scene.

"Sayaka!" Naoki called out, but the girl simply continued to run away. He let out a sigh, wondering what had just happened.

"So…" Yui said, walking up with Strea. "That was a thing."

"Tell me about it." Naoki said in agreement. "What the hell was that about?"

"I'll tell you what it was about." Strea said, wagging a finger at him disapprovingly. "You didn't man up and kiss her. So she had to kiss you. That's what happened."

"But we're friends! We're not dating or anything!" Naoki argued. "Having her kiss me, it felt… weird."

"Well that's just something you're gonna have to figure out with her between the two of you." Yui said.

"I guess so." Naoki sighed. "Hey come to think of it, why are the two of you here in the first place? You guys don't live anywhere near here."

Yui looked over at Strea, who began to sweat nervously. "Umm… Reasons."

"Reasons?" Naoki asked skeptically. "What kind of reasons."

"Reasons that are… reasonable. Girl reasons! Yeah, that's it!" Strea said. "Come on Yui, let's get going!" Not giving anyone else another word in, the younger Kirigaya sibling took off running.

Yui let out a groan of annoyance. "See you around Naoki." she said with a wave goodbye before running off after her sister.

Left to himself, Naoki decided it was time for him to start making his way home as well. He was going to need a lot of sleep after everything that had happened today for him. As he walked home, one thought struck his mind.

' _Sayaka was my first kiss.'_

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Now for the next chapter, this upcoming week is going to be a bit different. I split this upcoming chapter into a two-parter. The first part will be uploaded within a few days, probably around Tuesday. The second half will be uploaded on Saturday at it's usual time. As for the reason why I'm doing this, you'll all understand after reading the next chapter when it comes out.**


	41. Home: Part 1

**A/N: Here you go readers. The first part of the special two-parter this week. I have a special surprise for you all with this chapter, as you'll soon see. Enjoy.**

Alicia set the table as the time neared for dinner. She had three plates set out, one for her, one for Rin, and one for Lilly.

Her husband on the other hand, had no plate set out on the table.

It was roughly thirty minutes ago that Dan had called Alicia, telling her he would be home late and would grab something to eat before heading home. It had been the same every night for the past week. Alicia tried getting her husband to go into detail as to why he was home so late each night, but every time his answer was vague. He only said it was "work-related".

She knew Dan had been busy lately trying to get Luna's body ready. But it would still be awhile before it was finally finished, another few months most likely. But she didn't want him killing himself over it.

"Rin! Lilly! Dinner's ready!" Alicia called upstairs.

"Coming!" the two sisters called back.

Within seconds, Rin and Lilly came downstairs, eager to dig in for dinner. Like Alicia, they too had noticed their father's absence in the recent days.

"Dad's gonna be late again?" Lilly asked.

Alicia nodded her head. "Your father's just working hard. It'll all be back to normal soon."

Rin and Lilly glanced at each other. They knew their father was a good and honest person, but something about this all just didn't seem right. They could tell Alicia was thinking the same, but she stayed silent.

Yet another evening passed with the three girls eating and talking alone. Rin and Lilly each talked about school, while Alicia spoke a bit about how her latest novel was coming along. There was always a bit leftover, since Alicia had gotten used to cooking for four people. But leftovers just meant lunch for the next day, at least that was what Alicia told herself.

Rin and Lilly had also been missing their father. There had been days when he wouldn't be home for dinner in the past of course, considering he worked for such a large company. But it had never been this frequent.

After dinner was over, Rin and Lilly thanked Alicia for the food and quickly did the dishes before going back upstairs. As they left the kitchen, they could both sense the forlorn look on their mother's face.

"I feel so bad for mom." Lilly said.

"Me too." Rin nodded in agreement. "I know Luna's body is important, but how could it take up this much of dad's time?"

"I don't know." Lilly frowned.

As the two girls thought to themselves in silence, a thought came to Rin's mind. "Why don't we find out?"

Lilly narrowed her eyes at her sister. "And how exactly do we do that?"

"Simple." Rin said. "We go to RECT."

* * *

The next morning, Rin and Lilly had told their mother that they were planning on hanging out at a friend's place after school, and that they would also be eating dinner there. It was a simple lie, and the fact that Rin and Lilly had stayed to eat at some of their friend's houses in the past made it all the easier for their mother to believe.

"Rin, I still don't think this is going to work." Lilly said.

"Oh come on. How hard could it be?" Rin asked. "We just go in and say dad forgot the dinner mom made for him. They lead us to him, and we get to ask him face to face why he's been so late coming home. Plus, we'll might get a clue from looking at whatever we find on the way."

Lilly let out a sigh. There was so much that could go wrong with this plan. Frankly, the most likely scenario would be that the receptionist would take the bag and deliver it to their dad personally. There was no way they'd let two teenage girls anywhere near some of the company's latest technology, even if they were related to one of the heads of the department.

"Come on, Lilly. We won't get anywhere standing out here." Rin said as she walked towards the front entrance. Lilly let out another sigh as she followed her sister inside.

As the two girls walked inside, they couldn't help but be impressed by how fancy the place was. Most companies tried to make their lobbies look impressive, but this was something else. There was a fountain up front, with a revolving sign showing the company's logo in the center. Multiple couches were put out for guests to sit on. Workers and other business people walked around busily.

Rin and Lilly walked up towards the receptionist desk. As they neared it, Rin grinned at her sister. "Alright Lilly, you're up."

"What?" Lilly asked in disbelief. "I thought you had a plan."

"You're the smart one. You should be able to make up a more convincing lie than I can."

Lilly groaned in annoyance. Of course her sister would leave it to her instead of thinking through with a plan. ' _Oh well, time to improvise. I'll just have to hope the excuse Rin made up is enough.'_

"Excuse me." Lilly said, walking up to the receptionist. "I'm here to deliver something to Dan Hiryo."

"A delivery?" the woman questioned. "And who might you be, may I ask?"

"Lilly Hiryo. I'm his daughter." Lilly explained, bringing out her school ID to confirm her identity. "My mom made him a dinner for him to eat at work since he's been working late recently, but he forgot it this morning. He gets scatterbrained like that often." She prayed she was being convincing enough for this to work.

"I see…" the receptionist said. "Well if you leave it here with me, I'll be sure that it gets to him."

' _I knew it.'_ Lilly silently thought. ' _Ok what now? Think Lilly, think.'_ There was only one plan she could think of, though it was a bit of a desperate one. Turning on the best "daddy's little girl" face she could muster, Lilly looked pleadingly at the receptionist. "Could you please let me give it to him ma'am? I haven't been able to see much of my daddy lately with how late he's been working. I'd love to see him, even if it's only for a quick second."

Rin had to hide her surprise at the sudden cutsey little girl act her sister was putting on. Both sisters waited for the receptionist to make a response. Finally after a few moments, the receptionist nodded her head. "Very well. I'll see if he's not too busy to come up here himself for a moment."

' _I seriously cannot believe that just worked.'_ Lilly thought as she smiled at the woman. "Thank you very much ma'am."

The receptionist picked up a phone and pushed a button. After a few seconds, she spoke into the phone. "Hello, is Mr. Hiryo there? His daughter is here to deliver a dinner his wife made for him." Another few seconds passed as the person on the other end spoke. "Mhm. I see. Thank you very much." The receptionist hung up and put the phone down. "It appears Mr. Hiryo is not here right now. He left the office for the day about an hour ago."

"He left?" Lilly asked. She and Rin looked at each other skeptically. Even on days he came home on time, he never left work this early, not to mention he had already said he'd be late today. Lilly turned back to the receptionist. "Did he say where he was going by any chance?"

"Apparently he had business at the Overlook Cafe in Chiba." she explained. "I'm afraid I don't know anything else other than that."

"Alright then. Thank you very much." Lilly said with a polite bow before leaving the building with Rin.

As the two sisters walked outside, they both couldn't help but feel confused. "What would dad be doing at a cafe?" Rin asked.

"No clue." Lilly said. "But we've come this far already. Might as well find out."

Lilly and Rin boarded the earliest train they could find to Chiba. As they rode in the train, they couldn't help but start to feel hungry. It was already late in the afternoon and they had been traveling ever since school let out. They'd definitely be missing dinner, but they figured they'd just get a quick bite to eat somewhere on their way home.

Once the train arrived in Chiba, Rin and Lilly got off and began looking for the Overlook Cafe the receptionist had mentioned. They asked around for directions and managed to find it before long.

The Overlook Cafe was a small restaurant sitting by the waterside. It had a great view of the ocean, making it a popular place to eat, despite it's small size. Most of its tables were set outside, allowing customers to eat while enjoying the breathtaking view and refreshing breeze of the ocean.

Rin and Lilly looked at the place from across the street, blending in with the crowd. "Do you see him?" Rin asked.

"Not yet." Lilly said.

"What would dad be doing here though?"

"Meeting with a business partner for RECT?" Lilly shrugged.

"Maybe…" Rin said.

"Wait, I found him!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Really?" Rin asked. She looked at where Lilly was pointing. True enough, their father was there, sitting at one of the outdoor tables.

The part that surprised them was the woman sitting across from him.

Rin and Lilly were both at a loss for words as they watched their father talking with the other woman, both of them laughing and smiling while trapped in some sort of conversation that neither Rin nor Lilly could hear.

"Who's that woman across from him?" Lilly asked.

"I don't know." Rin said. "You don't think… dad's not cheating on mom, is he?"

Lilly feverishly shook her head. "No way! Dad would never cheat on mom!" But despite her words, she couldn't deny the fact that the exchange going on at the cafe seemed quite similar to a date. "He wouldn't… would he?"

The two sisters looked at each other worriedly. Was this why their father was coming home late so often? Both of them wanted to believe that their father would never do such a thing. But they couldn't deny the doubt beginning to grow in their minds.

Another ten minutes or so passed before their father and the woman both finished their meal and left the cafe. They parted ways and each left for the night.

Rin and Lilly both took off after their dad, desperate to get some answers. They caught up to him about a block down the road. "Dad!"

Dan turned around, surprised to see his two daughters running up to him. "Rin? Lilly? What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be home by now?"

"We could ask you the same thing, dad!" Rin said angrily.

"Who was that woman you were with!" Lilly questioned.

Dan'e eyes widened. "Wait, were you two spying on me?"

"Answer the question, dad!" Lilly said. "You're not cheating on mom, right?! Tell us there's an explanation for all this!"

"Is she the reason you've been coming home late?! That woman you were eating with!" Rin accused.

Dan looked down at the two girls. "Are the two of you finished?" He took the silence that followed as a yes. "Good. Now then, what are you two doing here?"

"You answer our question first, dad." Lilly demanded.

Dan let out a sigh. "Very well. I was _hoping_ to make this a surprise later, but if you two girls insist I'll tell you." He looked them dead in the eye. "But first you two have to promise me what I'm about to say does not reach your mother's ears unless I say so, got it?"

"That depends on what you tell us." Rin said.

His daughters were stubborn, that was one thing Dan couldn't deny. But he couldn't deny that the same had also been true for him back at their age. "Fine. That woman you two saw works for a large scale financial group. And they're helping RECT with some special funding."

"Special funding?" Lilly asked. "For what?"

"You two know how I said Luna's body wouldn't be ready until a few months from now? Well a big part of that reason was a financial issue. We originally thought it would take much longer to get the funds necessary to finish it. But thanks to our recent partnership with them, we finally have enough."

Lilly and Rin both widened their eyes. "You mean…"

Dan showed a smile as he kneeled down and looked at his two daughters in the eyes. "Luna's body will be ready in one week."

 **A/N: Surprise! What does everyone think? Luna will soon be in the real world. I think you can all tell by now that this cliffhanger is why I made this a two chapter week, since the length of this one was pretty short. I hope you're all looking forward to next chapter as much as I am.**


	42. Home: Part 2

**A/N: Well here it is readers. Second chapter of the week. Hope you all enjoy it.**

"One week?!" Lilly gasped, dumbfounded at the sudden news from her father. "It'll be ready that soon?!"

Dan nodded his head. "Our recent partnership with the financial group I mentioned made it a lot easier to collect what we needed to complete the body. We've actually had all the supplies we needed for the past few weeks. It's just been a matter of waiting for the body to fully develop."

"Is that why you've been working so late recently?" Rin asked.

"Yes. I wanted to make sure everything's running smoothly, so Luna can be with us as soon as possible." Dan explained. "I know that also means I've been away from home quite a lot recently. I'm sorry if I made you two feel neglected."

Lilly shook her head. "We understand dad. We want Luna to be here in the real world too."

"But mom's been feeling a bit down lately with you not being home." Rin told him.

Their father nodded understandingly. "I know. I'll talk to her once I get home and see what I can do to cheer her up. I really appreciate you two looking out for your mother so much." He suddenly narrowed his eyes at his two daughters. "That said, did you really think I was cheating on her?"

A nervous sweat went down Rin and Lilly's backs. "Well… we didn't want to think that." Lilly explained. "But it sorta looked that way from what we were seeing."

"We're really glad it's not true though." Rin said.

Dan patted Rin and Lilly on the head. "Of course it's not true. Why would I ever do such a thing when I already have the most wonderful family I could ask for?"

Rin and Lilly smiled proudly at their father, happy to know that everything was alright. The touching moment was cut short though with a sudden growl from Rin and Lilly's stomachs.

Dan let out a chuckle. "You two sure sound hungry."

Lilly let out an embarrassed giggle. "Yeah well… we haven't really eaten anything since lunch." she admitted.

Their father sighed and shook his head. "Come on. I'll treat you two for something to eat before we all go home."

Rin and Lilly grinned brightly as they walked with their father, partially due to the complaining coming from their stomachs. After a quick dinner for Rin and Lilly, the group of three got into Dan's car as he drove them home.

"So when are you telling mom about Luna, dad?" Rin asked.

"In a few days." he explained. "I want to surprise her at the very end."

"Does Luna know?" Lilly asked.

Dan nodded his head. "I told her three days ago, so she could start preparing herself. You should have seen her face."

* * *

 _ **-Flashback-**_

 _Ren logged onto ALO, appearing in the bed of his in-game home. It was his day off and Alicia was out shopping. It was the perfect time for him to tell Luna the surprise without anyone else overhearing._

" _Luna? Are you here?" Ren asked._

" _Papa!" Luna exclaimed happily as she ran up to her father, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!"_

" _I'm happy to see you too, sweetie." Ren said as he kneeled down and looked at his AI daughter at eye level. "Have you been a good girl?"_

" _Mhm." Luna nodded. "I've been playing with Rin, Lilly, and everyone lots and lots."_

" _That's my girl." Ren grinned as he rubbed Luna's hair playfully, causing her to giggle._

" _You're working hard on my new body, right Papa?" Luna asked._

" _Of course." Ren nodded. "That's actually part of the reason why I logged on today. I have a surprise for you. But you can't tell Mama, your sisters, or anyone else until I say it's ok, understand?"_

 _Luna nodded her head excitedly. "I understand Papa."_

 _Ren leaned in and whispered in his daughter's ear. "Luna, your body will be ready in just a little more than a week."_

 _The news caused Luna's eyes to widen as she gasped. "Really?!"_

" _You bet."_

" _Yay!" Luna exclaimed happily as she threw herself at her father, smiling and laughing with more joy than she had ever felt in her life. "I'm gonna be able to be with Papa, Mama, Rin, and Lilly soon!"_

" _Yep. It'll be on October 24th." Ren explained. "I'll put your data in a drive and bring you to RECT, where we'll download your consciousness into your new body."_

" _I'm so happy." Luna said as she hugged her father tightly. "I love you, Papa."_

 _Ren smiled as he hugged Luna back, a tear falling from his eye. "I love you too, Luna."_

 _ **-End Flashback-**_

* * *

"So Luna's going to be here on the 24th." Lilly said. "That's a Saturday, isn't it?"

"That's right." Dan nodded. "I've already gotten permission from my boss for you two and your mother to be there too."

"That's awesome!" Rin said excitedly. "I can't wait!"

The three of them continued to chat as Dan drove back home. When they finally arrived, it was already pretty late. The moon was brightly lit in the sky, along with the many stars twinkling above them.

"We're home!" Rin and Lilly called out as they walked in the door with their father.

"Welcome home you two." Alicia said as she came to greet them. She was surprised though when she saw her husband with them. "Hi honey. I didn't realize you were driving them home."

"I saw them walking home as I was driving back." Dan lied. "I thought I'd drive them the rest of the way, since it was getting late."

"Well it is most certainly late." Alicia agreed. "Go on you two. It's a school night. Hurry up and shower then go to bed."

The two girls obediently headed upstairs, leaving their parents alone together. Dan walked up to his wife and gave her a kiss on the lips. "How was your day, hun?"

"Pretty uneventful." Alicia told him. "How about you?"

"Busy." he said. "But it's worth it, coming home to you."

"Oh you." Alicia giggled as she kissed her husband again.

Dan looked at his wife with a caring smile. "Alicia… I'm sorry I haven't been home much lately. I know you must feel upset with me."

Alicia shook her head. "Of course not. I know you're busy trying to bring Luna here to the real world. That's all that matters."

"Still, it's not fair to you." Dan told her. "But I promise my late nights are going to end soon. Why don't we do something special. I'll take you out to dinner."

"That sounds lovely." Alicia agreed.

Dan held Alicia in a loving embrace. Just a few more days. Then their family would truly be complete. And everything would be perfect once more.

* * *

 _-A few days later-_

Dan and Alicia walked out of the restaurant, both fully satisfied with their meal. It had been awhile since the married couple had gone out to eat for a fancy night dinner. Most times in the past, they had needed to get a sitter, usually one of their friends or family, in order to watch Rin and Lilly. But now the two girls were old enough to be left alone for a bit, making it much easier for Dan and Alicia to enjoy themselves with nights like these.

"That food was delicious." Alicia said. "I'll have to recommend this place to Asuna and the others."

"It certainly was." Dan agreed. "I've missed being able to do things like this, just the two of us."

"Well dinner dates become a much less frequent thing when you have two kids." Alicia pointed out. "Eventually, it'll be three kids. One day."

Dan took a deep breath. Now was finally the time for him to break the news to his wife. "Alicia… that might be sooner than you think."

"What?"

Dan looked Alicia directly in the eyes. "Alicia, I know I've been working late a lot recently. And I know it's been hard on you."

Alicia's eyes looked down slightly. "Well… I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been a little lonely without you home."

"I'm sorry. It hasn't been fair on you." Dan said. "But it's going to be worth it in a few days."

"What are you talking about?" Alicia asked.

Dan showed his wife a soft smile. "Because Luna's body will be ready in a few days."

Alicia stayed silent as her eyes slowly widened, processing what her husband had just told her. "You're serious? She'll be here in a few days?"

"This Saturday to be exact." Dan nodded. "That's why I've been working late recently. To make sure everything is running smoothly."

Alicia's face grew the brightest smile she had shown since Dan had proposed to her. She threw her arms around her husband, crying out tears of joy. "I can't believe it! She's finally going to be here!"

"Hope you don't mind taking a day off from writing to come." Dan said with a grin. "I got permission for you to be there. Rin and Lilly too."

"That's wonderful!" Alicia exclaimed happily as she hugged her husband even tighter.

"There's one more surprise for you but you're going to have to wait and see for that." Dan told her. "I promised Luna I wouldn't let you find out about it ahead of time."

"If it's anything like this surprise, I know I'll love it." Alicia said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She touched her hand to her husband's cheek. "You're still the same Crimson Flash I know and love. Always able to pull off a miracle that I could never have even imagined."

"Only because I've got you at my side Berserker Lotus." Dan told her as the couple leaned in and shared a kiss under the moonlight.

* * *

Alicia parked in front of the RECT building. Today was finally the day she and her family had been waiting for for so long.

Rin and Lilly got out from the back seat of the car. It had only been about a week since they were here last, but the building looked as impressive as ever. Leave it to one of the largest electronics companies in the world to make their main office look just as impressive as the company's reputation.

As the three of them walked through the front door and up to the receptionist desk, the woman recognized them. "Ah, Mrs. Hiryo. Your husband said you'd be here. I'll let him know right away."

"Thank you." Alicia said.

"These are your guest passes. Please keep them on you at all times." she added, handing Alicia, Rin, and Lilly a card for each of them.

The receptionist contacted Dan and informed him of his family's arrival. Within a few minutes, the elevator doors further in opened and Dan stepped out. He motioned over for his family to join him. Once the four of them were together, he lead them back into the elevator. Dan swiped his ID card, and pressed a button for one of the lower floors.

"I doubt I need to tell you this, but most of the technology here is experimental, meaning it's top secret." Dan explained. "I was able to pull some strings to get you to be here, but don't go wandering around or touching anything, got it."

"Got it dad." Rin and Lilly said, though Lilly was a little saddened at the fact that she wouldn't be able to see some of the cool new things RECT was working on.

After a short walk, Dan led his family into a room. It was a small rectangular space with a glass window, showing another room with special machinery. In the center was a pod.

Lilly gasped in awe. "Is that…"

"That's right." Dan nodded. "Luna's body is inside there."

"Amazing." Rin said with widened eyes.

"You three will need to stay here, while her consciousness is being downloaded." Dan explained. "I'll tell you when it's alright for you to come in." With that said, the father walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Alicia and her two daughters watched as Dan entered the other room. The glass was soundproof so they couldn't hear anything from the other side, though there was a speaker above them so Alicia figured that's how her husband would let them know.

Dan held the drive holding Luna's data and breathed a nervous sigh. This was it. After all this time, it was finally going to happen. He knew now how Kazuto and Asuna must have felt on the day Yui was brought into the real world. He plugged the drive into a computer and started typing away.

"Alright Luna, this is it. Are you ready?" Dan asked.

"Ready Papa." Luna said.

"Ok then." Dan nodded. "I'll see you soon sweetheart."

"Mhm. I love you Papa."

Dan finished initiating the program and the process began. Luna fell silent as she fell into a sleep state as her mind began downloading into her new body.

All Dan could do was watch and wait while the downloading process occurred. It was the most nervous he had been in so many years. Minute after minute passed by as he waited, seeing the progress bar slowly move further. Thirty percent. Forty percent. Fifty percent.

Alicia held both Rin and Lilly's hands as they watched from behind the glass window. Alicia remembered back when she and Dan had first met Luna in ALO for the special event. She remembered having to watch Luna disappear in her arms. But now she was finally back. And with this, she would be closer than she could have ever dreamed.

"Ninety-five percent complete, Mr. Hiryo." one of the other scientists in the room said.

Dan walked over to the pod. He looked down at the little girl inside it. Even though they had already accomplished it with Yui, it was still hard to believe. Creating a human body and downloading someone's consciousness into it. It truly was a miracle.

"One hundred percent. It's finished."

After the scientist said this, the pod slowly opened up. Everyone watched in anticipation for the long awaited moment. Dan looked as the little girl in the pod slowly blinked open her bright blue eyes, differing from the hazel ones she had in ALO. She sat up, revealing her short black hair, roughly the same length as it was in the virtual world.

"Hey there, Luna." Dan greeted with a warm smile.

The girl turned her head towards Dan. Slowly, her lips formed into a bright smile, knowing that her biggest dream and wish had finally come true.

"I'm home, Papa."

 **A/N: Hope you're all as happy to finally have Luna in the real world as I am. Plenty of potential for the new addition to the Hiryo family. See you all in a week.**


	43. Happy Birthday

**A/N: Well here it is everyone. The first chapter of Luna in the real world. And for all of you wondering the reason for Luna changing her hair color for her real world body, you'll find out in this chapter.**

 **Additionally, I managed to get a commission done for a sketch of Luna. Now I'm just looking for someone to do the colored version. Once it is one, I will be sure to let you all know.**

Dan recalled back to when Rin and Lilly had each been born. Those two days were some of the happiest ones of his life. And this moment right now, being able to embrace Luna in the real world, felt just like those moments.

When he finally managed to wipe his eyes, Dan looked at Luna with a smile. "How do you feel, Luna?"

"A bit tired." Luna said. "But other than that, I'm fine."

"Don't worry, it'll go away shortly. Yui was the same when she came to the real world." Dan explained. He turned his head towards the window showing the room where Alicia, Rin, and Lilly were. He waved his hand, motioning for them to come in.

The three of them saw Dan's signal and left the small room, coming into the one where Dan and Luna were.

Rin and Lilly both hugged their little sister. "Luna, is it really you?" Lilly asked.

Luna nodded her head. "Mhm, it's me, Lilly."

As Alicia looked at Luna, she gasped that the color of her hair was black instead of violet like it was in ALO. "Luna, you're hair…"

"Do you like it Mama?" Luna asked. "I asked Papa to make my hair the same color as yours."

"I told you Luna wanted to surprise you." Dan told his wife with a grin. "Well, here you go."

"I wanted hair just like yours Mama. Cause it's so pretty." Luna explained with a bright smile.

Tears formed in Alicia's eyes as she looked at her daughter. "Oh Luna… You sweet, wonderful girl you." She wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter, embracing her with all her love. "I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm happy too, Mama."

"Umm… Mr. Hiryo." one of the other men in the room interrupted. "I don't mean to intrude, but…"

"Right, I understand." Dan nodded. He looked back at his family. "Alright Luna, we just need to run a few quick tests to make sure your body is functioning properly. After that, we can all go home together."

"Ok Papa." Luna nodded.

Dan led Luna into another room on the underground level of the building. He had Luna perform some simple tasks, such as walking in a straight line, and touching her finger to her nose, while the other scientists in the room took notes. After a few minutes, Luna was cleared with her body and senses functioning normally. It was towards the end of Dan's shift, so he left with his family and drove home.

Alicia drove her own car back, with her now three daughters chatting together in the back seat. Luna stared in awe at the real world as they drove by several streets and buildings. She had seen them before through the device Kazuto had given the family to use, but being able to experience it with her own eyes was something else entirely.

Dan and Alicia both pulled into the driveway of their house. As they got out of the two cars, Luna looked at the Hiryo home with the same awe as everything else she had seen on the way here.

"Welcome home, Luna." Dan said as he patted the little girl on the head.

Luna continued to stare at her new house while her family let her take it all in. Alicia noticed a tear fall from Luna's eye. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"It's just… I'm so happy to be here. With Mama, Papa, Rin, and Lilly. It's a dream come true."

The family all smiled happily for Luna at how happy the girl was. Alicia kneeled down next to her daughter. "It's no dream Luna. This is real. And now we'll always be together."

Luna held her mother's hand as they walked into the house. The inside of the house was just as amazing to Luna as the outside.

"Can we show Luna her room?" Rin asked.

"Of course." Alicia nodded.

"My room?" Luna asked.

"Of course. You have to sleep somewhere, silly." Lilly told her sister. "You wanna see it?"

Luna nodded her head excitedly and the three sisters quickly ran upstairs together. Rin and Lilly led their younger sister to one of the rooms upstairs, where she would be sleeping.

The room was fairly simple. There was a bed with pink sheets on it. At one side of the room, a wooden dresser was put, for clothes.

"I love it!" Luna said happily.

"It didn't take much effort to redecorate. This WAS the guest bedroom after all." Lilly explained.

"Guest bedroom?" Luna looked up at her sister. "Does that mean we can't have guests?"

"Don't be silly Luna. Of course we can still have guests." Rin told her. "Though for any of them sleeping over, mom and dad will have to figure something out I guess."

"Can I see your rooms too?" Luna asked.

"Sure." Rin said. The two girls showed Luna each of their rooms. Afterwards, they proceeded to show her around the rest of the house.

Dan sat in the kitchen while Alicia started working on dinner. The married couple watched as their trio of daughters went up, down, and around the house, giving Luna the chance to explore it all.

"She's exploring every nook and cranny." Alicia giggled. "Reminds me of us whenever we reached a new floor of Aincrad back in SAO."

"Who would have ever thought back then that this would be our lives now?" Dan said.

Rin and Lilly were currently out in the backyard, showing Luna the swingset. Rin and Lilly had used it all the time back when they were younger, but it hadn't been used for a few years now. Dan had been planning to take it down eventually, but once Luna came into their lives again he decided to leave it up for her eventual use. And boy was she using it now, swinging up and down on it.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us." Dan said. "But it's going to be worth it by having her here."

"We'll need to tell our folks that they have a new granddaughter." Alicia pointed out. "That's going to be an interesting conversation."

"Well we didn't tell them about Luna the first time. We didn't think we'd ever see her again." Dan said, glad that wasn't the case anymore. "And now with Luna being back… how are we supposed to explain an AI granddaughter that they never knew existed?"

"I know Kazuto and Asuna didn't have an easy time either when they told their parents about Yui. Kazuto's mom looked like she was going to faint. Asuna's mom… that took some doing as well according to Asuna."

"Let's just be glad Clair and Emi haven't told them yet."

Alicia nodded in agreement. "I guess I'll just have to call our folks over soon and introduce them to Luna." she said.

"I'll get to work on telling everyone else about Luna." Dan offered. "At least… everyone that already knows she exists."

"There's one more thing we need to finalize." Alicia added. "School."

School. That was quite probably the trickiest subject of all with Luna finally being in the real world. Dan let out a sigh. "Yeah… I already went to the elementary school Rin and Lilly went to when they were younger, like you asked." he explained. "It wasn't easy explaining Luna's origins, but I was able to convince them to let her enroll."

"That's great to hear." Alicia said happily.

"There's one thing though." Dan pointed out. "They want us to bring her there for an interview. An AI turned human isn't exactly a normal thing, so they said they want to make sure she can act like a normal human being."

"I suppose that's fair." Alicia admitted. "But that shouldn't be a problem. Luna acts just like any other person. She's more well-behaved too."

"I agree. So I'll see if I can get her enrolled to start next year in the fall."

"Next fall?" Alicia questioned. "That's too long. We should try and get her started in school this spring."

"A-Are you sure?" Dan asked. "I-I mean, it's already getting close to winter. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"The start of the spring semester of school is a few months away. We'll have plenty of time." Alicia assured him. "At the very least, it won't hurt to try."

"Right…" Dan said.

Alicia raised a brow at her husband. "Is something wrong, Dan?"

"N-no! Nothing's wrong!" Dan stuttered. "Well I'm going to go call the others and tell them the good news. Call me when dinner's ready."

Before Alicia could get another word in, her husband hurried upstairs. Something was definitely up with him, she just couldn't tell the reason. Another conversation for another day she supposed. Right now, she had to get finished making dinner.

* * *

"Mmmm, this is so good, Mama!"

"I'm glad you like it, Luna." Alicia smiled, happy to see Luna liked her cooking so much.

The youngest member of the family was scarfing down her dinner, a sight that surprised the rest of her family. Luna had never been the type to eat her food quickly. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this was her first meal in the real world. They had all known the differences between food in the real and virtual world.

"Slow down kiddo. You're gonna choke on your food at this rate." Dan warned.

As if on cue, Luna let out a cough from her speed eating. She let out another couple of coughs before grabbing her drink and guzzling some of it down to wash down the food.

Lilly let out a giggle. "I haven't seen anyone eat that fast since Rin."

"Hey!" Rin complained.

The family all shared a laugh together as dinner continued. Towards the end of dinner, Dan looked at Luna with a serious expression.

"Luna, there's something I need to remind you of." Dan told her. "It's fine for you to go out and make friends with other people, but you can't go telling them about your past as an AI."

Alicia nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, that would probably be best for now."

"Why?" Luna asked. "Is being an AI a bad thing?"

Dan shook his head. "Of course not sweetheart. But because you didn't come into this world like most people, that makes you special. Some people might not understand that."

Rin and Lilly could definitely agree on that. Even to this day, the fact that Yui had once been an AI was kept secret from most of the world. If the world had found out that one was walking around just like them as a human, there was no telling what would occur as a result. Living a normal life would become practically impossible.

"Mom and dad are right Luna." Lilly nodded. "Don't worry. Just act like you always do. Once people realize you're no different from regular humans, you'll be fine."

"Yeah, plus you'll have me and Lilly looking out for you." Rin told her. "You'll be just fine Luna."

Luna nodded her head understandingly. "By the way, you mentioned how I came into the world differently from most humans. How do most humans come into the real world?"

"Huh?"

"Humans start off as babies, right? How are babies made?"

Silence fell over the dinner table at Luna's sudden question. Dan quickly finished the last bite of his food before getting up. "Oh would you look at the time, I need to go do… something. Thanks for dinner, honey."

"Great meal mom, bye." Rin and Lilly both said before getting up and rushing out of the kitchen with their father.

"Wait, you can't just leave like this!" Alicia called out to her family, but the plea fell on deaf ears. Now it was just her and Luna together at the dinner table.

"How are babies made, Mama? You know, right?" Luna asked.

"Umm… umm…" Alicia cursed her husband and daughters out for leaving her alone like this to answer such an awkward question. She remembered when Rin and Lilly had both come of age for this, but neither of them had been as young as Luna when "the question" finally popped up. "Luna… babies are made when…" Alicia tried to figure a way out of this conversation, but couldn't come up with anything. That left making up a vague explanation.

"Mama? What's wrong?" Luna asked.

"Babies are made when two people love each other very much." Alicia explained. "They work together, and because of that a baby is born."

"What do you mean? How do they work together?"

Alicia tried her best to put on a smile to mask the awkwardness she was feeling right now as she patted her daughter's head. "That's something I'll tell you when you're older, sweetie."

Luna tilted her head curiously, not fully understanding what her mother meant. But she decided to let it go. Her mother had never lied to her before after all. Alicia let out a sigh of relief that Luna had accepted her answer. She got up from the table and went to do the dishes.

* * *

"Alright Luna. Time for bed."

Luna let out a yawn, proving her mother was right. She tried swiping her hand down, but soon remembered that this wasn't the virtual world and there was no menu to change outfits with.

Alicia giggled at her daughter's blunder. "Come here. I picked out some pajamas just for you."

When she had found out how soon Luna would be arriving, Alicia had gone shopping for a few pairs of clothes for the new addition to the family to wear. Pajamas had been one of those things. Alicia helped her daughter change into a pair of violet pajamas and tucked her into bed.

"Alright. There we go." Alicia said as she made sure Luna was tucked in nice and cozy. She kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Good night Luna. Sweet dreams."

Luna saw her mother reach for the lamp at her bedside to turn it off and sat up. "Wait! Don't turn off the lights!"

Alicia looked back at her daughter. "Luna, you can't sleep if the lights are on all night." Alicia paused, noticing the young girl trembling slightly. "What's wrong Luna? Are you afraid of the dark?"

Luna nodded her head. "A little. It reminds me of when I was trapped in stasis for so long. I was all alone and it was so dark." She sat up and hugged her mother. "I don't wanna be all alone in the dark again!"

Alicia patted her daughter's head gently while rubbing her back with her other hand. "Don't worry Luna, you won't be alone anymore. You have a family now, remember?"

"I know but…"

Luna's fear was clear in Alicia's eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't experienced this before with Rin and Lilly, so Alicia knew what to do. The mother got up from the bed. "I'll be right back Luna. I have something that might help you."

Luna watched as her mother walked out of the room. She returned a couple minutes later, holding something in her hand. "Sorry it took so long. It took me a bit to find it."

"What is that, Mama?" Luna asked.

"It's called a nightlight Luna." Alicia explained. "It'll leave a little bit of light on, so you won't be in the dark all night." She plugged it into the wall and a small light shined in the room. Luna's eyes gleamed in surprise when she saw it.

"Wow, it's so pretty!"

"And now you'll feel safer." Alicia smiled gently. "Is that better?"

"Mhm." Luna answered with a nod of her head.

"Alright then. Good night Luna." Alicia said as she began to walk out of the room again.

"Wait!"

Alicia turned back to Luna. "Is there something else sweetheart?"

"Well… I was wondering…" Luna began. "Could you tell me a bedtime story? Like how you used to?"

A small bit of surprise came to Alicia. It had been years since she had told Rin and Lilly a bedtime story. For some reason, she hadn't been expecting having to suddenly take it up again. "Of course Luna. What kind of story would you like to hear about?"

"A really exciting story!" Luna said with a cheer.

Alicia let out a soft giggle. "Alright then. Let me think…" As she thought about a story to tell Luna, Alicia noticed two shadows stretching out from outside of Luna's room. A knowing grin came to her face as she called out to the hallway. "If you girls wanted me to tell you a story too, all you had to do was ask."

Outside of the room, Rin and Lilly both blushed in embarrassment. The two girls peered their heads in.

"Rin! Lilly!" Luna smiled. "Mama was just about to tell a story! Come join us!"

The two teenage girls looked at each other nervously before walking in. Alicia shot a grin at her two eldest daughters. "What were you two doing lurking out there? Do you miss my stories that much?"

"N-No!" Rin blushed. "Lilly just had something she wanted to give to Luna, and then we heard you talking."

Lilly feverishly nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, so we wanted to wait until you two were done before we went in."

"Oh? And what is it you wanted to give to Luna, Lilly?" Alicia asked.

Somewhat hesitantly, Lilly pulled out the item that she was hiding behind her back. A stuffed bear that Alicia recognized as the one Lilly used to carry around when she was younger.

"I remember that thing." Alicia smiled nostalgically. "You used to hang onto that as if your life depended on it."

"Mom!" Lilly exclaimed. She tried her best to hide her blushing cheeks as she handed the bear over to Luna. "Here you go Luna. I thought you might like it."

Luna squealed happily as she hugged the bear. "It's so cute! Thank you so much Lilly!"

"It's nothing. Don't mention it." Lilly said. "It was just sitting in the closet gathering dust, so I figured you might enjoy it."

"Aw, look at my big girl helping her little sister out." Alicia giggled.

"Mom!"

"A-Anyway, we'll be going now." Rin said as she and Lilly turned to leave.

"Not so fast." Alicia said. "Don't you want to stay for the story?"

"Yeah! Stay for the story!" Luna told them. "Mama tells the best stories!"

Rin and Lilly looked at each other. Their mother had put them in a tough spot to get out of. Left with no other option, they decided to stay.

"Good. Now get into bed." Alicia told them.

"What?!"

"It's not a bedtime story if you're not in bed." Alicia teased. "Hurry up now. The bed can fit all three of you."

Rin and Lilly blushed embarrassingly as they got into the bed and laid down with Luna in between them. No doubt this was punishment for running away from her earlier at dinner.

"Alright then. Now which story should I tell?" Alicia pondered.

"Oh I know! Tell the one where you and Papa first kissed!" Luna suggested.

Alicia nodded her head. "You got it, Luna. So it all began with…"

* * *

"-and then we escaped the blizzards of the dungeon and returned safe and sound. And we lived happily ever after." Alicia finished. "The end. So what did you girls think of-"

Alicia was cut off at the sight she saw. Rin, Lilly, and Luna were all fast asleep in the bed, with Rin and Lilly each hugging an arm around their little sister. Alicia couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sight.

"Sweet dreams, girls." Alicia whispered before getting up from the bed. "And Happy Birthday Luna." The mother walked out of the room. Waiting for her right outside was her husband.

"That was always Rin and Lilly's favorite story, wasn't it?" Dan said.

Alicia nodded her head. She and Dan looked inside Luna's room, seeing their three daughters sleeping peacefully. "Life really has a funny way of showing you when everything is perfect. I'd say this is our perfect."

"Without a doubt." Dan agreed. "We were blessed with the three greatest kids we could have asked for."

"All because we met each other in a psychopath's death game." Alicia said. She thought to herself for a moment. "Hey Dan… I know Kayaba's still out there, and I still can't forgive him for everything he's done. But I'm truly thankful to him for giving us the chance to meet, and helping bring Luna back into our lives. Is that weird?"

Dan shook his head. "Kayaba was a unique human being. I don't really know how to feel about him still being alive, even if it is only virtually. But I think everything will be fine. All the fighting from SAO is long gone."

"And it was worth every second of it." Alicia said as she kissed her husband on the cheek.

The two parents walked away, going to their own room, leaving their kids alone to sleep.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and that ending. Luna is finally in the real world and it's going to lead to plenty of new experiences.**

 **Also, there is something I need to let you all know of. This current semester of college has been especially brutal on me. Between, writing and doing schoolwork, I'm really being stretched thin. So for the rest of the semester, I'm afraid I will have to change the update schedule for this fic to once every 2 weeks. This should lessen the burden of schoolwork for me and also allow me to work a bit on some of my other stories. Sorry for any of you that love getting your weekly dose of Blazing Generations.**


	44. Life as a Human

**A/N: Well it's been two weeks readers. Thank you all for being so patient. To make it up to all of you, I'm trying to make these chapters longer than usual. Enjoy.**

"Thank you again for meeting me like this." Alicia said. "You've been very helpful."

"Oh no, it was no problem at all." Lilina assured her friend. "I'm just surprised you chose me to interview for your latest novel."

Alicia and Lilina were currently sitting across from each other in Alicia's study. With the contents of Alicia's upcoming novel being based on the random adventures of players not on the front lines, Alicia had decided to poke her friend's brain about some of her excursions before she had joined them and fought on the assault team.

Needless to say with her reputation as the Rip-off Merchant, some of Lilina's stories showed her… less moral side.

"So let's see here…" Alicia said as she looked at the notes she had taken so far. "You basically moved around from floor to floor, scammed whoever was gullible enough to fall for your tricks, then took off to another floor each week."

"Ah, those were the days." Lilina said with a reminiscent grin. "I'll tell you Alicia, I found some real suckers in SAO. There was this one guy who bought a commonly dropped great sword I found on Floor 42 thinking it was top tier loot. All because I brought it somewhere to get all spiffed up with a fancy design for the hilt."

"I knew you were a scam artist, but I never expected to hear some of these things." Alicia admitted. "You really were SAO's top scam artist."

Lilina nodded her head. "Yeah… I guess I wasn't the best person out there. Back in the real world, I lived in a low-class family. I always saw the cool shiny things other kids got with their parents money. You could say that jealousy is what got me so obsessed with money."

"But you changed." Alicia reminded her. "Think of everything you've done. You helped fight with us on the front lines. And now you're ok with not being the richest in the world. You're a hardworking mother, who always puts her family and friends first."

"Thanks Alicia." Lilina smiled. "Meeting Hyde and you guys really changed my life. I can't say I'd be who I am today without you all."

"Come on, you've returned the favor more times than I can count." Alicia told her. "You're a good person, Lilina. And anyone who says otherwise is gonna have to answer to me."

"I think that's even scarier than answering to Hyde." Lilina said, causing the two friends to giggle.

The two of them were interrupted as the door to the room opened up. Alicia turned to see Luna peek her head in.

"Yes Luna, is there something you need?" Alicia asked.

"When are Rin and Lilly coming home, Mama?" Luna asked. "I wanna play with them."

"They're still at school sweetie. They won't be home for another hour." Alicia told her daughter. "And don't forget, once your father gets home we need to go to that interview."

Luna frowned disappointingly. Alicia could tell her daughter was bored, and frankly she couldn't blame her. With Rin and Lilly at school, and Dan at work, most days it was just the two of them for a majority of the time. And even with the new addition to the family, Alicia couldn't stop her work as a writer. She tried to keep Luna occupied through reading. Luna did have a curious personality so she was an avid reader, but there were only so many books in the house for her. Alicia was thankful Lilly was so into reading, or Luna would have run out of books much sooner. Now Alicia tried to keep her daughter's mind occupied with television, but even that had its limits.

"Tell you what Luna, how about your mother and I share with you some of our crazy adventures back in the day?" Lilina suggested.

Luna's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really, Aunt Lilina?!"

"Mhm, but first you have to be a good girl and wait until your mother and I are done. It won't be long, we promise."

Luna seemed satisfied with the option and left the two women alone. Alicia let out a sigh of relief. "Nice thinking there, Lilina."

"What can I say? Naoki was always getting bored when he was younger. I know how to deal with it." Lilina said.

"I wish I could do more for her." Alicia sighed. "A girl Luna's age should really be in school, but that won't be for another few months."

"Have you figured something out with the school yet?" Lilina asked.

Alicia nodded her head. "I was able to convince them to let her enroll in the spring, provided they don't find anything wrong during the interview at least."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Luna's a good kid." Lilina assured her.

"I hope so." Alicia said. "We're bringing her to the school later today once Dan gets home from work."

"Speaking of Luna, how did your folks react when they heard about her?" Lilina asked.

Alicia let out a giggle. "You should have seen their faces."

* * *

Alicia and Dan stood in the living room of her house. Both of their parents were there, wondering why the married couple had asked them here today out of the blue.

"It's been awhile, I suppose." Alicia started. "I'm sure you're wondering why we called you here out of the blue."

"Yes that is something that's been on our minds." Dan's mother nodded.

Alicia's mother narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "I hope this you're not going to tell us that you're pregnant again." she said.

The couple feverishly shook their heads. "No, of course not mom!" Alicia told her mother. "Although… it is a little close."

The two sets of parents narrowed their eyes, looking at each other before turning back to Dan and Alicia. "What exactly do you mean?" Dan's mother asked.

"Well… I guess it's best just to come out with it." Dan said. He called out to the other room. "Rin, Lilly, you can bring her in now."

All eyes watched as Rin and Lilly walked into the room, followed by Luna. Both sets of grandparents widened their eyes and gasped in shock at the black haired little girl standing before them.

"Mom. Dad. Mr and Mrs Hiryo." Alicia spoke, putting both her hands on Luna's shoulders. "This is the latest addition to our family. Her name is Luna. And how she came to be part of the family… that's going to take a bit to explain."

Both Dan and Alicia's parents let the surprise sink in as they listened to the story of how Luna came to be, all the way back to the first time they had become the young girl's parents through the event in ALO. It took awhile, but Dan and Alicia eventually managed to get through the whole tale.

"So this girl is an AI… like that Yui girl your friends Kirito and Asuna have, correct?" Juna asked.

Dan nodded his head. "That's right. It's true she's not our biological daughter, or that she wasn't originally human. But the way she is now, she's just as human as anyone else."

"And we still view her as our child, just as we always have." Alicia finished.

"It's really nice to meet you." Luna smiled. "I've really wanted to see you for so long."

The two sets of grandparents looked at each other, trying to understand the surprise their kids had dropped on them. It was true, a new granddaughter, and an AI one at that, was the last thing they had been expecting when they had come here. But at the same time, they had also met Yui in the past, and she seemed just as human as any other girl. So why wouldn't the same be true for Luna?

Mrs. Tsuki was the first to respond, showing Luna a caring smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Luna."

Luna giggled happily as she went over to her grandparents. Dan and Alicia let out a small sigh of relief, glad that it had gone much better than it had been when Kirito and Asuna introduced Yui to their parents.

* * *

"I'm just glad it all went well." Alicia said as she finished the story. "Luna really hit it off with them."

"Just be careful they don't spoil her." Lilina said jokingly. "I know mine and Hyde's parents did it all the time with Naoki when he was little."

"I'll bet." Alicia chuckled.

The two women talked for a bit longer, going more into Lilina's adventures as Dagger before joining Wyvern's Inferno. Once they were done, the two of them played with Luna as promised. The young girl was happy to be relieved from her boredom with the exciting stories her mother and Lilina had for her.

Before long, it was time for Lilina to leave and head back home. Alicia and Luna waved goodbye to the red haired woman as she drove away from the house.

"Aunt Lilina is really cool." Luna said.

"She sure is." Alicia agreed as she put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Just try not to take after her too much. Now let's go back inside. We need to make sure you're all ready for your meeting once your Papa gets home."

"Ok Mama."

Alicia and Luna walked back inside the house together. Rin and Lilly would be getting home soon, and it would still be another hour or so until Dan got home from work. That gave them a lot of time to get Luna ready.

Alicia brought Luna upstairs and helped her change into something slightly more presentable. Alicia knew just how important this interview was. She wanted Luna to have a normal human life and school was going to be an important part of that endeavour. Even though she knew Luna was well behaved and normal enough to fit in and pass the interview she couldn't help but feel at least a little nervous.

Soon enough, the front door opened and Rin and Lilly walked in. "We're home." they called out.

"Rin! Lilly!" Luna said happily as she ran up to her sisters. "Welcome home!"

"Hey Luna." Rin greeted.

"Someone sure looks all dressed up." Lilly commented.

"Mhm. Mama picked this out for me for when I meet the school people." Luna said.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Lilly told her sister. "You'll be at the top of the class with that big brain of yours."

Luna let out a giggle. "Really? You think I'll be as smart as you, Lilly?"

Rin showed a teasing grin. "I don't know Luna. Lilly's a pretty big nerd."

"Hey!"

Alicia came downstairs to the sight of the three sisters laughing together. "How was your day, you two?"

"You should have seen me in gym class mom. I was on fire." Rin said.

"I'll bet you were." Alicia said. "And you Lilly?"

"Aced my math test."

"That's good to hear. Now make sure you both get your homework done."

"Got it mom." they both said as they headed upstairs.

Luna frowned slightly at the fact that neither of her sisters were able to play with her. Alicia walked up next to her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you wanted to play Luna. But school comes first."

"I know…" Luna said disappointingly.

Alicia found herself stuck. She had her work as an author, but she also didn't want to put off her responsibilities as a mother. Rin and Lilly had each other to keep themselves occupied when they were Luna's age. Luna however was alone due to the fact of her sisters being busy with schoolwork and was not going to school herself. Luckily for Alicia, a way out of the situation for now soon came pulling into the driveway.

Dan got out of his car and walked into the house. "Hey Luna. You sure look ready."

"Mhm. I'm all set Papa."

"Good girl." Dan said as he patted his daughter's head. "Just act the way you are, and you're sure to be in school by next fall."

Luna tilted her head to the side. "Fall? But didn't Mama say I'd be able to start school in spring?"

"R-Right…"

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "Luna dear, could you go upstairs and keep your sisters company for a few minutes. Your Papa and I need to talk for a moment."

"Ok Mama." Luna said as she went upstairs.

Alicia eyed her husband, who could tell she had something on her mind to say. "Alright, talk."

"What do you mean?" Dan asked.

"You know very well what I mean." Alicia said. "Why do you keep wanting to postpone Luna starting school?"

"Does she even need to go? Luna's already smarter than most kids her age. And we could teach her the rest."

"School is about more than studies Dan. She needs to be with other kids her age, and learn to interact with them." Alicia told her husband. "Luna needs to have a social life. It's what's best for her."

"I know." Dan sighed. "I'm just worried about the darker part of school."

"What are you talking about?"

"Alicia, we both know that Luna is… different. Her body may be very similar to a human's, but she's still going to think like an AI. I'm just… I'm afraid of her getting bullied."

Looking at her husband, Alicia could finally see what had been eating at him for the past few days. His fear wasn't unfounded. She knew that in his school before SAO, Dan had been bullied quite often. And Luna being special wasn't going to do her any favors, especially if people found out about her origins. Alicia walked up and looked at her husband with a gentle smile.

"I know you want to protect Luna from going through what you did in the past. But we can't just shelter her for her entire life. Luna needs to be out in the world and meet different people and have different experiences." Alicia said. "And yes, some of those may be bad. But what's important is that we'll be there for her when they happen. We need to let Luna live her own life." She showed a teasing grin at her husband. "Besides, Luna's not a wimp like her father was at her age."

"Geez, really hitting me below the belt, aren't you?"

"You may have been a wimp, but you're not anymore." Alicia told him as she leaned in and kissed him. "You're the man I love and that will never change."

"Thanks Alicia." Dan said. "Alright then. Let's hurry up and go. We'll be late at this rate."

* * *

Dan and Alicia sat down together in the principal's office of the elementary school Rin and Lilly had both once gone to. Luna was currently in another room with two other faculty members, taking a short quiz to test her abilities in basic subjects.

"Now then, let's get down to business." the principal said. "I understand the basic situation of Luna from what you've told me, Mr. Hiryo. But first, I'd like to ask what your precise reason is to enrol her in this school."

"It isn't experimental or anything, if that's what you're asking." Dan told the principal. "We simply feel it's best for Luna to have the same experiences as any normal human being her age."

"We understand that an AI student is quite different from the norm." Alicia said. "But we believe Luna can act normal enough without anyone noticing."

The principal nodded. "Well from the short discussion I had with her, she certainly seems human enough. And from what you've told me, Luna would be the second AI to be put into a school, though you've neglected to tell me the identity of the first."

"Apologies, but I'm not allowed to say. I'm under contract." Dan explained. "Likewise, Luna's identity as an AI will need to be kept a secret."

The principal nodded his head. "Yes, I'm aware. Your CEO told me as much. I will make sure the faculty and staff know to stay quiet on the matter."

"Thank you. We appreciate that." Dan said.

"That is, of course, provided Luna passes this interview." the principal reminded them. "I believe she's proven herself capable of interacting normally social-wise, but there is still the case of whether she has the knowledge needed to keep up with the other students."

"I don't believe that will be a problem." a woman said as she entered the room, followed by Luna. "Luna here just finished her quiz."

"Mama, Papa, they say I passed!" Luna said happily as she ran over to her parents. "The school people say I did really well."

"That's excellent, sweetie." Alicia told her daughter.

"I knew you could do it." Dan said as he patted her on the head.

The principal looked at the teacher. "Is this true?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. Her skills in writing were slightly below par, but I don't believe it will pose much of a problem provided we put her in the right class. Other than that, she scored average or above in practically every subject, especially in math."

"I can go to school now, right?" Luna asked.

The principal showed a satisfied smile and nodded his head. "I see no reason why not. You've proven yourself to be a very capable girl miss Luna."

"Yay!" Luna cheered.

"Thank you very much, sir." Alicia said with an appreciative bow of her head. "So Luna can begin once the spring semester rolls around, correct?"

"Yes, that will be fine. We'll mail you the details of her class assignment and any other information before then."

"Thank you." Dan said. He looked at his daughter. "And you Luna?"

Luna also bowed her head. "Thank you very much, mister."

The principal let out a hearty laugh. "Oh it's quite alright. We're very glad to have you."

"If you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving now." Dan said. "Have a nice day."

"And you as well." he said as he watched the family walk out of his office.

Luna wore a proud smile on her face as she skipped along next to her parents. She had always wondered what school was like, based on the things her sisters would say about it. And now she would finally be able to experience it for herself. Going to school alongside other humans. It was like a dream come true.

"I'm so happy for you, Luna." Alicia told her daughter as they walked to Dan's car.

"I really get to go to school! I get to go and meet all kinds of people!" Luna said excitedly.

"In a few months, yes." Dan nodded. "Just remember, you need to study too. School isn't all fun and games."

"I understand Papa."

"We also need to work on your writing skills it seems." Alicia added. "I'll try and teach you a little when I can."

"Ok Mama."

As Dan helped Luna into the back seat of the car, Alicia snuck out her phone and sent a quick text out. Once she did, she got into the car. She just hoped everything would be ready by the time they got back home.

* * *

Dan pulled up into the driveway of their home. He and Alicia caught sight of a small flicker of light through the window, signalling that everything was ready. They got out of the car, along with Luna and began to walk towards the front door.

"So are you excited to finally be able to go to school, Luna?" Dan asked.

"Mhm." Luna nodded.

"Well we have one more special thing for you, Luna." Alicia told her. She opened up the front door and Luna was greeted by Rin and Lilly both wearing party hats.

"Surprise!" the two girls shouted out together.

Luna gasped in shock as she saw her two sisters with multiple balloons behind them. "Wh-What's going on?"

"What do you think? We're celebrating the fact that you passed your interview." Rin said.

"But how did you know?"

"Mom texted us." Lilly grinned. "We had everything all ready to go, we just needed confirmation from mom."

Luna looked up at her parents, who showed grins at the little girl. Luna smiled happily as she walked into the house. It was a rush job for Rin and Lilly to do in such a short time, but she still loved it nonetheless. She had the best family in the world.

"We sorta had to improvise a bit on the food." Lilly admitted.

"Improvise?" Alicia asked. "What happened to the casserole I left for you girls to heat up in the oven?"

Lilly glanced over at Rin. " _Someone_ forgot to take it out on time, and it ended up getting a little burnt."

"Hey I was busy with party decorations." Rin argued before looking back at her parents. "So since the casserole was a bust, we decided to order pizza instead."

Alicia let out a sigh, but Luna's excitement at the mention of pizza meant that the party could still be salvaged. "And Luna's present?"

"On the kitchen table." Lilly said.

"Present?" Luna questioned.

"It's a little something your father and I felt you might like." Alicia said with a smile.

Luna rushed with her sisters into the kitchen. Lying on the table was a wrapped box. Luna hurried over and tore off the wrapping paper to see her present. She exclaimed joyfully at what she saw inside. A brand new Amu Sphere, along with a copy of Alfheim Online.

"Told you she'd go nuts when she saw it." Dan whispered to Alicia with a grin.

"Can't really blame her though." Alicia said.

"Is this really for me?!" Luna asked.

"Of course, sweetie." Alicia nodded.

"Isn't it great Luna?" Lilly said. "Now you can go adventuring with us again in ALO."

"I can't wait!" Luna cheered.

"We can log on after dinner!" Rin suggested.

"Hold it." Alicia interrupted. "It'll take a bit to set up Luna's Seed account and get her Amu Sphere fully set up. And it's a school night. I don't want you all staying up half the night and then falling asleep in class the next day."

"Seriously?! Come on mom, do you have to shoot down our fun like that. It's Luna's first dive."

"I already said no, young lady." Alicia told her daughter. She patted Luna on the head. "Which is why I'll help Luna with her first dive tomorrow."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at her mother. "You just shot down our idea so you could be the one Luna goes on her first adventure with, didn't you?"

"I resent that statement." Alicia said, though she couldn't hide the small grin on her face. "Anyway, my word is final. Luna can dive in tomorrow with me."

"Yay!" Luna cheered. "I get to go adventuring with Mama!"

With everything settled, the Hiryo family ate together to celebrate Luna's acceptance into school. After the small party, they each went to bed for the night.

* * *

"Alright Luna, you're all set." Alicia said. After setting up Luna's Amu Sphere for her and helping her with the calibration, Luna was finally ready for her first full dive. Although she had been born in the virtual world, it still felt a little strange for the girl to go back to it this way.

"You're going to meet me when I log in, right Mama?" Luna asked.

Alicia nodded her head. "Of course Luna. I'll hightail it to the Imp capital as fast as I can."

Luna fit the Amu Sphere over her head and laid down on her bed. This was how her sisters and friends had all made their way into the virtual world. And now it was her turn to do the same. She knew already of everything that she would experience once she was inside, but there was still a sense of excitement for her.

"I'll see you soon, sweetie." Alicia said.

"Right, Mama." Luna said with a nod. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Link Start!"

As Luna dived in, Alicia sat up from her daughter's bed. She walked into her own room and fit her Amu Sphere over her head. She recalled when she and her husband had helped Rin and Lilly with their first dives. Being able to do it again with Luna brought a sense of nostalgia to her.

Meanwhile, Luna found herself in the starting room where she could select her name and race of her avatar. The nine fairy races all stood together in a circle for her to choose with the console in front of her.

When she had been born into Alfheim Online so many years ago, Luna had received a race due to her being the child of the selected couple for her event. No other fairy race seemed as natural to her than that so she decided to return to the world as an Imp, just like she had left it. She also wanted to follow in the footsteps of the only other AI turned human she knew of, Yui. Yui had went with her real name when returning to the virtual world, wanting to be seen as the small pixie that had grown up into a fairy and learned how to fight. It was the same for Luna. She was returning to this world as a player, but she was still the same person that had left it. She typed in the name Luna and confirmed it.

When she was teleported, Luna found herself falling down from the air. She had imagined that most players felt a sense of fear at suddenly free falling from the sky, but to Luna who had already experienced flight, it was the most refreshing sense in the world.

' _I'm back.'_ Luna thought to herself.

Not even needing the system to do it for her, Luna brought out her wings and flapped them, flying through the air. "Woohoo!"

As much as Luna would have liked to fly at her leisure all day, she knew she couldn't progress any further until she completed the Controlled Flight Tutorial. She performed the basic maneuvers asked of her with relative ease. Once that was finished, Luna was teleported once again.

When Luna could see again, she found herself in the capital city of the Imps, Komori. Unlike many of the other cities of the various races, Komori was built inside of a large mountain. Glowing crystals on the ceiling illuminated the town, along with various other glowing rocks that floated in the air.

Luna took a look at herself, twisting and turning. Although avatar creation was supposed to be random, certain VR games like ALO had a function that allowed you to have an avatar of roughly similar height and weight to that of your real body, where it obtained data through the calibration. Luna had selected that option for herself, but the similarities still surprised her. Even taking out the same height and weight, her appearance was almost exactly the same as it had been from before in ALO when she was an AI. Her clothing was obviously different, replaced with that of the starter equipment all players got.

Speaking of which, Luna took notice of the sword sheathed on her back. She hadn't given much thought to what kind of build she wanted to play as. Did she want to be a physical DPS, a mage, a support player? There were so many options. Her father had always told her though that a sword was a great way to start off with due to its versatility though, so perhaps she would take his advice and try it out for now.

Luna wondered on what she should do until her mother got here. It would likely be another few minutes considering how quickly she had managed to zoom through the tutorial and avatar creation. With nothing to do, Luna took a quick look around. As she did, her eyes caught sight of something. She quickly ran over and found a small food stand, selling candy in the shape of bats. It was the same NPC stand that her parents had brought her to once long ago. The fact that it was still here after all this time made Luna think it had to be fate.

"Hello miss. May I help you?" the NPC said.

"Can I have a bag of Bat Pops?" Luna asked.

"Of course. That'll be 200 Yld."

A window popped up in front of Luna to confirm the transaction. The starting amount for all new players was 1000 Yld so she could afford it. As she was about to confirm the purchase another hand reached out and pressed it for her.

"Let me pay for that."

Luna turned around and smiled brightly at the sudden arrival. "Mama!"

"Thank you for your purchase." the NPC said as the bag of candy vanished from the stand and reappeared in Alice's hand.

"Here Luna. Why don't we sit down and share this?" Alice suggested.

Luna nodded her head eagerly. "Ok."

The mother and daughter quickly found a bench and sat down together, eating the tasty sweets. They tasted just as Luna remembered all those years ago. The sweet yummy flavor that melted in the mouth.

"So, where do you want to go for your first adventure Luna?" Alice asked. "We'll need to do the tutorial quest first, but that won't take long."

"Hmm…" Luna thought to herself. There were so many places to explore in Alfheim. She had been to several ones already during her adventures with Rin and Lilly, and their friends. And she couldn't pick anywhere too difficult. As a new player, she lacked the stats to go anywhere too dangerous.

"I can't decide Mama." Luna said.

Alice let out a giggle. "That's alright. We'll check out what quests are available once we finish your tutorial quest, sound good?"

Luna nodded her head as she and her mother got up from the bench. They walked together and made their way out into the fields for Luna's quest.

* * *

"Did you see me, Mama?! Wasn't I amazing?!"

"Yes, you were very good out there Luna." Alice said with a smile.

After finishing Luna's tutorial quest, the mother daughter duo returned to Komori. Luna had handled herself quite well when battling the monsters in the fields. Alice was surprised at how little help her daughter had needed from her. Perhaps watching her, Ren, and everyone else for so long had allowed her to pick up a few tips about combat.

"Do you think I'll be as strong as you and Papa one day, Mama?" Luna asked.

"If you work hard enough, I'm sure you'll surpass us both one day." Alice told her.

Luna smiled brightly at her mother's praise. "Alright! I'm gonna work super extra hard!"

Thinking back, Alice had also noticed just how far Rin and Lilly had both come as well. She couldn't honestly say they were at her and Ren's level yet, but in a sense she didn't want them to reach that level either. They, and all of their friends, had honed their battle skills throughout all of the dangerous fights they had experienced in SAO. She would never want her children to experience those horrors, even if it did lead to them getting stronger.

' _But perhaps you'll surpass us without the need for that. One day, I hope.'_ Alice thought to herself.

"Let's go check out the quest board Mama." Luna said. The young Imp ran on ahead over to the board in the center of town. Alice couldn't help but giggle at the eagerness of the new gamer. Things that seemed so simple and common to an experienced gamer like her were fresh and new experiences for Luna.

When Alice finally caught up to Luna, the young girl was already looking at the list of quests. "See anything you like Luna?"

"Um… um…" Luna looked at all of the easy level quests for something. Finally her eyes caught sight of one. "What about this one?"

"Let's see…" Alice looked at the quest info. "An ogre attacking a village, huh?"

"He sounds like a bully. Let's teach him a lesson, Mama." Luna said.

"You got it, Luna." Alice nodded. "We'll show that ogre how strong we are."

Once Luna accepted the quest, she and her mother left the city of Komori and began making their way to the location the quest specified. The second they were outside of the mountain, they brought out their wings and took off into the air.

Flying with her wings like this felt so different to Luna than before. As a Navigation Pixie, she was able to fly, but she couldn't go the high speed everyone else could. She tended to ride backseat in her sisters' pockets for high speed journeys. But now she could go as fast as she wanted. It was a feeling unlike any other.

"Luna, the ogre the quest mentioned should be just down there." Alice pointed out.

"Right." Luna mentioned. "Let's go Mama."

The two Imps descended onto the mountain ground below. The steep rocky terrain made for uneven footing. But there was no sign of the ogre the quest mentioned.

"I don't see anything." Luna said.

"Neither do I." Alice added. "Maybe some other players beat us to it and we'll have to wait for it to respa-" Alice's eyes widened as she saw the ground beneath Luna begin to crack open. "Luna, look out!"

Luna gasped as the ground below her suddenly gave way, but before she could fall in, her mother tackled her away.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Alice asked.

Luna nodded her head. The mother and daughter suddenly heard a loud roar as they turned back towards the opened earth. A beast leaped out of the crevice and landed on the ground with a thud. A large muscular monster with a club in hand glared at the two female players and let out a powerful roar.

"Seems like we found our ogre." Alice noted as she readied her scythe. "You ready Luna?"

"All set Mama." Luna said as she drew her sword.

The ogre roared as it raised its club up. Alice charged in with her scythe. She swung the curved blade up at the same time that the ogre swung its club down, allowing her to parry it.

"Now Luna! Switch!"

Luna sped past her mother and slashed at the ogre with her blade. As she moved past it, she kicked off the ground and slashed past the ogre again. She repeated the process again and again, getting five clean cuts in.

' _Those movements…'_ Alice recognized the style of battle that Luna was using, slashing from all directions, not giving the enemy a chance to recover. ' _It's just like Ren.'_ A small smile came to Alice's lips. ' _You really are his little girl, Luna.'_

Annoyed with the constant slashes cutting into its body, the ogre roared and swung its club down. Luna leaped back in time to avoid taking a direct hit, but the shock wave from the impact knocked her off balance. As her back hit the hard ground, the ogre leaped at her with its club. Luna gasped at seeing the monster close in.

"Oh no you don't!" Alice yelled as she appeared in front of Luna and delivered a kick to the ogre's jaw. She then took her scythe and spun it around, delivering three consecutive slashes with the weapon.

"I've got it Mama!" Luna said as she ran past her mother, pulling her sword back. The blade lit up with an orange glow as she activated the sword skill Vorpal Strike. Luna thrusted her blade forward, stabbing the beast and knocking it back. The monster tried to take advantage of Luna's stun delay after using a sword skill as it raised its club again.

"Luna!" Alice exclaimed.

The ogre swung its club down again, but Luna regained movement at the last second and managed to sidestep away. She used the opportunity to her advantage as she leaped into the air and readied her sword.

"Take this you big bully!"

With a roar, Luna's blade cut directly through the ogre, cutting it in half and causing it to shatter. As Luna's feet hit the ground, she realized that she had just cleared her first quest. She leaped into the air. "I did it Mama!"

"I knew you could, Luna." Alice said as she put her scythe away. "That was really nice swordsmanship. You're father would have been proud."

Luna giggled happily as her mother patted her on the head. She had always admired the smooth cool style her father had whenever he fought. As she fought, she realized that was the kind of player she wanted to be. Luna looked at the sword in her hand. ' _I'm gonna be just like you, Papa. Watch me.'_

"So Luna, did you have fun with your first quest?" Alice asked.

Luna nodded her head. "Yup! It was super fun!"

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it." Alice said. "What do you say we call it a day and log off once we get our reward?"

"Ok Mama."

With that, the mother and daughter spread their wings and took off into the air once again. Their destination was the Imp capital of Komori.

As the two of them flew away, a mysterious figure appeared on the rocky ground that Alice and Luna had just left from. He watched the two players fly away.

" _You've gotten rusty, Berserker Lotus. Is this what times of peace has brought?"_

* * *

"And then I jumped up and cut the ogre down! It was so awesome!"

The Hiryo family listened as Luna explained the adventure she and her mother had went on as they ate dinner. Luna had a lot of fun, that much was clear to see from her excitement.

"I'm glad you had fun, Luna." Dan said. "Just make sure not to spend all your time online. A girl your age needs to spend time outside playing with friends too."

"Speaking of friends, we could have Luna party with us on ALO." Rin suggested. "With everyone there, we could even tackle some of the harder dungeons."

"That's not a bad idea." Lilly said. "It could help Luna power level some of her skills. We should also see if we can get her a better sword. I'll have to check with some of the Leprechaun smiths I know."

Luna grinned to herself. "Just you wait, I'm gonna catch up to both of you in no time!"

Rin let out a giggle. "Well, looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us."

The three sisters continued to chat throughout dinner. They talked about various ways to help Luna get caught up as soon as possible. ALO didn't have a leveling system, so the power leveling method one could do in most RPGs wasn't an option. The only way to get stronger was to level up your skills, using them over and over again. But since stronger enemies tended to yield more skill points, Luna could increase those skills quickly if she had a party there to help her.

The talk continued throughout the night, up until it was time for bed for the three girls. They each fell asleep, with Luna dreaming about the future adventures that awaited her in the virtual world.

 **A/N: So what did everyone think of seeing Luna finally fighting in ALO, as well as seeing the Berserker Lotus in action for a bit? I know all of you like seeing the adorable AI girl of the Hiryo family, but next chapter is going to focus around the rest of the cast once again. I've got some big surprises in store for you all, so I hope you're looking forward to them.**


	45. Revenge of Aincrad

**A/N: Ok readers, time for the latest mini arc of Blazing Generations. I hope it is one that you will all enjoy. Also, since I forgot to do this last time, I will be responding to the Guest reviews for the past two chapters.**

 **Draconix: Thanks. Glad to hear you liked the cutesy moments for Luna's arrival. There will be much more of her adorableness in the future.**

 **Guest: I didn't give Luna a scythe since a little girl hold a big weapon like that would be a little difficult, though cute and funny as hell. As for one of the girls taking after Alice, Rin fills that role. While she doesn't use a scythe, remember that Alice also used martial arts on the side. Rin took it up and made that her fighting style, which she learned directly from her mother, so she's the one that's really taken after Alice. And as for slang... maybe sometime in the future. Never really though about it that much. Not really sure why one of the kids would need to be a theater lover too, but it's possible I suppose.**

Rin and Lilly both woke up together, logging into their parents home in Lunet in ALO. The two sisters stretched out their arms as they readied themselves for a day of adventure.

"So any ideas on what we should do?" Rin asked.

Lilly shook her head. "We promised Luna we'd help her level up her skills once she got on later, but that won't be for another hour or two."

"Hmm…" Rin thought about their options. "Well Yui and the others should be on now too. Why don't we see if they're free to hang for a bit?"

"Sounds good to me." Lilly said, having no better ideas.

"Ok, I'll message them." Rin said as she and Lilly walked outside. As Rin opened her menu, something caught her eye. "Hey, there's a new notification."

"Huh?" Lilly opened her menu. Sure enough, her notification tab was flashing. Both girls opened it up and read the latest article.

 _New Event: Revenge of Aincrad_

 _Even after the legendary castle New Aincrad has been conquered, the dangers still remain. Forces are beginning to form together in an effort to plunge the floating castle into darkness once more. Can you stand up and fight those that wish to take the peace that has stayed for so long?_

"Revenge of Aincrad? This certainly sounds interesting." Rin said.

"It says the event is today only." Lilly noted. "That's really weird though. I didn't hear anything about this until just now. Usually the devs would have given an announcement a few days in advance."

"Guess they wanted it to be a big surprise." Rin guessed. "And lucky us, it starts in a little more than an hour. Let's hurry up and go."

"It says the event starting point is the dungeon on Floor 99 of New Aincrad." Lilly mentioned. "I'll message the others and tell them to meet us there. If they're online, I'm sure they saw the notification."

Bringing out their wings, the two sisters took off flying towards the town's warp gate. As they flew, Lilly messaged their friends and told them to meet up at the starting point of the event.

"So, any idea what this event is gonna be like?" Rin asked as they flew.

Lilly shrugged her shoulders. "Based on the description, I'm guessing we'll be fighting a lot of monsters. But other than that, there's no way to tell." In the back of her mind though, the Cait Sith couldn't help but feel odd about something.

' _Why do I have this uneasiness? It's like I feel something isn't right, but I don't know what.'_

Once Rin and Lilly arrived at the town's teleport gate, they quickly teleported themselves to Floor 99 of New Aincrad. The floor itself was very small, being so close to the top of Aincrad. In fact, there were no fields outside of the town to speak of. The dungeon for the floor was in the center of town, a giant pillar leading up to the top floor of New Aincrad.

"It really gives you that feel of being close to a final boss, doesn't it?" Rin asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "I heard that the boss fight here was really brutal, almost as tough as the final boss on Floor 100."

"Wish we could have been here for that." Rin sighed. "Too bad New Aincrad was cleared over a decade ago."

"I wonder what it would have been like for mom and dad if they made it all the way here." Lilly said. "They only got to Floor 75 back in the original SAO before the game was cleared."

"They would have kicked some serious butt." Rin smirked.

The two sisters walked together inside the dungeon on the floor. As they walked in, they could already see some players gathered there for the event. With it being such short notice though, the numbers were still small.

"Rin! Lilly! Looks like you made it!" a voice called out. The two sisters looked over and saw Miku waving over to them. At her side were Apollo and Kagero.

"So you guys saw the notification too, huh?" Lilly asked.

"You bet. Can't wait for this thing to start! It's gonna be so exciting!" Miku grinned in anticipation.

"Calm down sis, we've still got half an hour before it starts." Apollo reminded her.

Miku let out a sigh at having to wait. Lilly decided to look around the room. "I wonder if anyone else we know is here." Suddenly her eyes caught sight of someone familiar walking through the entrance of the dungeon. "Hey look, it's Shade."

"Shade?" Rin questioned as she turned to where her sister was looking. Sure enough, the Spriggan ninja was present, though his two teammates from Team Moonshadow were nowhere to be seen.

Lilly nudged her sister with a teasing smirk on her face. "Why don't you go say hi to your boyfriend, sis?"

"Boyfriend?!" Rin exclaimed.

Miku's eyes widened. "No way! You two are dating?!"

"No, we aren't!" Rin yelled with a blush on her face. The Salamander glared at her sister. "Lilly, don't go saying stuff like that! People will get the wrong idea!"

"Wrong idea about what?" Shade asked, suddenly appearing next to the group.

"Gah!" Rin exclaimed as she jumped in surprise. "O-Oh, hey Shade. Looks like you came to this event too, huh?"

Shade nodded his head. "Of course. It seemed worth doing."

"Where's the rest of your team Shade?" Miku asked. "Aren't they coming too?"

Shade shook his head. "They're not online right now. Besides, we only teamed up because we knew each other. We weren't the type to party up very often."

"The mysterious solo type, eh?" Lilly said. "Well Rin, I guess I can see why you like-"

"Shut it!" Rin shouted as she lunged at her sister. The two of them struggled with each other on the ground while the others watched with mild curiosity.

"What's with them?" Shade asked.

"Meh, sister stuff. It happens with all siblings." Apollo shrugged.

After another minute or so, Rin and Lilly finally broke up their sisterly fight with Lilly deciding to clam up on her jokes. Not long after that, they caught sight of Yui and the others arriving through the entrance to the dungeon.

"Hey guys!" Rin waved.

Their friends caught sight of them and headed over to where they were. "Looks like everyone came for this thing." Yui said.

"Heh, don't worry girls. Leave all the tanking to me." Naoki said with a smirk. "I'll be your knight in shining armor."

"More like our glorified meatshield." Rin quipped.

Naoki groaned as he hung his head low while Miku giggled, patting her brother on the back. "If it makes you feel better Naoki, Apollo here can do the better job of being a meatshield."

"That's just like saying I'm worse than a meatshield." Naoki complained.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with being given the title meatshield either." Apollo said.

Miku pouted at her brother. "Are you saying you won't protect your cute darling sister?"

The Leprechaun sighed as he shook his head. "Really sis? Bringing out the 'Little Miss Innocent Routine'? Sometimes I find it hard to believe you're the older one between us two."

Miku replied with a stomp to her brother's foot, making him wince in pain for a moment. Yui looked at the two Hiryo girls. "Isn't Luna coming too?"

"No, mom's tutoring her with writing. She won't be on for another hour or two." Rin explained.

"How is Luna doing anyway?" Miku asked.

"Really well. She loves it being in the real world finally." Lilly said. "She always gets so excited by new things."

Shade raised a brow. "What are you all talking about?"

The group turned to Shade, realizing he was the only one out of them who knew nothing of Luna's origins, or the fact that she was now human. Rin let out a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head. "It's a long story. Trust me."

Shade shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to care enough to press on with the questions. The group continued their chat together as they waited for the event to start. Minute by minute, the time passed by until there was only a minute left before the start of the event.

"Alright, time for last minute checks everyone. Equipment all set and ready to go?" Yui asked.

Everyone nodded, fully prepared for the event. There were about a hundred players there in total, all of them lucky enough to be online when the notification for the event was announced.

"Sayaka, make sure you stay safe." Yui said. "There's no telling whether we're fighting a single boss or a swarm of enemies. If you go down, we'll be in trouble."

"Got it." Sayaka nodded.

Every player stood at the ready. Many were teamed up, standing in a circle to see enemies from any direction. The suspense had them all excited.

"Thirty seconds left." Lilly said, looking at the time on her menu.

"Wonder if we'll get any stragglers coming in midway." Naoki said.

"With how short notice this event was, it's very likely."

Suddenly, a message appeared in front of everyone, startling multiple players. Looking at its sender, they each saw that it was the GMs of Alfheim Online. Everyone looked at each other curiously before opening up the message to see what it read.

 _This is an emergency message to all players._

 _The event on Floor 99 of New Aincrad isn't real. It's a trap. All players are highly advised to leave and log out immediately._

Everyone read the message over and over, thinking they must be reading it wrong. "The hell is this?" Naoki asked.

Out of nowhere, the sound of the doors slamming shut caused everyone to turn towards the entrance. Their way out was now completely sealed off. A few players ran towards the door and tried to open it, but to no avail. They were now locked in tight.

"Ok, this is starting to really get unsettling." Kagero said as her grip on her sword tightened.

"I don't like this." Yui said. "Something's wrong. We should all log off right now."

Several nods followed as everyone opened up their menus. Even though player avatars wouldn't disappear with them outside of inns, the system still allowed players to log off for breaks and emergencies. But as they all opened their menus, something caught their eye.

The logout button was missing.

"What the hell? Where's the logout button?" Rin asked.

"Mine's missing too." Tetsuya added.

Voices around the room showed signs of panic. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what was going on and what they should do. But all of their attention was soon captured as a loud roar suddenly echoed throughout the room. All heads turned as the owner of the roar appeared in the center of the room.

It was a large beast monster standing on two legs. In its hands were an axe and a buckler. It's piercing red eyes glared at the players it had spawned near as it snarled at them.

Several gasps filled the room at the sudden appearance of a boss monster. None of them were as shocked as Yui though, as she recognized the monster standing in the room.

"That's… Illfang…" Yui muttered as her body shook. "Illfang the Kobold Lord."

"Ahh! Help us!" one of the players right next to Illfang screamed as they turned and ran. They soon found themselves cut off however as several other monsters spawned in front of them. Their names read Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

"What's with that monster?" Naoki asked. "I've never seen it, but that name sounds so familiar."

"Illfang the Kobold Lord… wait, I remember!" Miku exclaimed. "My dad fought that thing! It was the boss of the first floor in SAO!"

"What?!" Kagero gasped. "Are you sure?!"

"I remember too." Lilly said, tensing up. "My mom told me stories about her fight with that boss."

"But what's an SAO boss doing here?" Naoki asked. "Even New Aincrad had different bosses for its floors. No one outside of SAO Survivors know what the floor bosses were!

Everyone was suddenly on edge. The cryptic warning had them freaked out enough, but the sudden appearance of a floor boss from the infamous Sword Art Online? Whatever was going on, it certainly wasn't good.

' _No… Why is this happening…?'_ Yui felt her entire body shake in fear. ' _It's just like… It's just like SAO…'_

"Guys, we need to do something! Those guys Illfang has cornered won't last long!" Lilly said.

Rin nodded her head. "Leave it to me!" Without a second thought, the female Salamander charged in.

"I'll go too!" Miku said, running after her.

"Wait!" Apollo called out, but it was too late. He groaned to himself before joining the fray as well. "Impulsive idiots."

The trapped players trembled in fear as they found a boss on one side and a swarm of minions on the other. They were completely cornered.

"Take this!" Rin yelled as she threw a punch that sent one of the Sentinels flying, while knocking another away with a round kick. A Sentinel tried to attack her from behind, but a thrust from Miku's sword sent it flying away.

"Hurry! Get moving!" Rin told the players.

None of them needed to be told twice as they all ran away, heading for the edge of the room to recover. As Miku and Rin were about to go with them, they found themselves surrounded by Sentinels.

Rin and Miku stood back to back as they looked at the monsters surrounding them. "You got my back?" Rin asked.

"We've got each other's." Miku confirmed.

The two girls kicked off the floor simultaneously. Rin smashed through Kobold after Kobold with her martial arts skills, activating them off one after another. Miku dealt with her enemies by slashing through them, cutting them down as fast as she could.

Apollo also joined the fray, knocking away a wave of monsters with a swing of his axe. Naoki, Strea, and Kagero also went in to fight.

Lilly quickly called out to the players in the room. "All healers get to the edge of the room! Mages, try and apply buffs! Have long range spells at the ready! Everyone else, keep that thing locked in the center of the room and flank it!"

Lilly's shout snapped some of the players out of their stun and panic, nodding as they joined in to participate in the battle.

Yui however, stood still. She wanted to fight, but she couldn't stop shaking. She was the only one. The only one there that had experienced the terrors of Sword Art Online. Watching player after player die in that horrifying nightmare.

"Yui!" Lilly's shout snapped the Spriggan girl out of her thoughts. Her Cait Sith friend looked at her with a grin. "We can worry about what's going on later. Right now, we've got a fight to win."

Yui managed to stop her shaking and nod. Her grip on her two swords tightened as she ran into the fray. ' _It's not SAO… Whatever this is, it's not SAO. This is Alfheim Online, not that death game.'_

"Raaaaaahhhhh!" Yui roared as she cut through a sentinel, charging towards Illfang. The beast glared at the girl, noticing her approach. It swung its axe at her while she swung both of her blades to parry the strike. "Strea! Switch!"

"On it!" Strea yelled as she moved in and swung her sword up, cutting into Illfang and causing the beast to roar in pain.

The two sisters jumped back as Illfang swung its axe at them angrily. Strea glanced at her sister. "You alright Yui?"

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah, I can still fight."

"Yui!" Lilly called out from the back. "Knock him off balance! Once you do, we'll hit him with spells!"

Yui and Strea nodded their heads as they turned back towards Illfang. The boss let out a powerful roar as it swung its axe down at them. Strea quickly brought her sword up to block the attack. The power behind the attack pushed her down as she struggled to hold it back.

"Yui, now!" Strea yelled.

The female Spriggan ran past her sister and swung her blades together in a cross fashion at Illfang's exposed belly. The hit forced Illfang to stumble back.

"Take this!" Rin shouted as she sprung forward and threw a powerful punch at Illfang, knocking the boss back. With Illfang knocked down, they all jumped back to get away from the fireworks about to go off.

"Now! Hit it with everything you've got!" Lilly shouted. Simultaneously, all of the mages blasted their spells directly at Illfang from all directions. Lilly unleashed her own barrage with her Elemental Pistol, firing five of her bullets at Illfang. A giant blast of fire slammed into the boss, along with several other elements. Illfang let out a massive cry of pain, its HP drastically falling down.

"Aw yeah! How'd ya like that?!" Naoki said with a cheer.

Tesuya grinned as he took down another Sentinel with a thrust of his rapier. "That's the last of the Sentinels too. All that's left is to finish the big oaf off."

Lilly watched as Illfang got up, clearly weakened from all of the damage it took. If her mother's stories were true, now would probably be where the real fight began.

The Cait Sith was proven right as Illfang let out a roar that blew away the players nearby it. It chucked away its axe and shield before grabbed the hilt of the blade at the back of its waist and brought it out. The katana-type weapon, Nodachi.

' _It's ok. We've still got the numbers. We can do this.'_ Lilly told herself.

As she looked at the boss in front of her, Lilly suddenly felt the area around her get darker, as if a shadow was hanging over her.

"Lilly! Behind you!" Sayaka called out from the edge of the room.

Lilly gasped as she turned around and was met face to face with a brand new boss standing over her. It was a humanoid bull monster, practically as tall as a skyscraper. Its waist was covered with a dark chainmail. A large hammer was in its right hand. On its hand sat a crown. Players could just barely make out the name Asterius the Taurus King above the boss.

' _Asterius the Taurus King… That's another one of the floor bosses from SAO?!'_ Lilly realized, remembering the name from her mother's stories.

Rin turned and saw her sister in danger. She quickly took off running. "Lilly!"

Lilly fell over as she became paralyzed with fear. She quickly tried to crawl back and get up to run away, but a kick from the boss sent her flying across the room, crashing into a wall.

Rin gasped in horror as her sister flew through the air from the hit. "LILLY!"

Lilly groaned as she fell from the wall and landed on the floor with a painful thud. The hit from the boss had taken out nearly all of her HP, leaving her with barely anything left.

Rin glared at the boss that had just treated her sister like a soccer ball and took off running at it. "You bastard!"

Lilly laid on the ground, lacking the strength to get back up with how low her HP was. Suddenly a refreshing warm light enveloped her as her HP began to rise. As Lilly managed to stand back up, she looked at the player that had just healed her. She said a quick "Thank you" before rushing back into the battle.

Rin ran towards Asterius and saw the boss look down at her. It raised its hammer, ready to strike.

"Not gonna work." Rin grinned as she kept running. The second she saw the boss swing its hammer down, she quickly jumped to the side.

"Rin, get out of there!" Yui called out. "It's got stun attacks!"

It was too late however. Even though Rin had managed to sidestep away from the boss's hammer, the shockwave still knocked her back. As she hit the ground, Rin felt her body caught in a stun effect, preventing her from moving. ' _Shit!'_

Lilly saw the boss prepare to attack her sister again. With its towering size, she wasn't sure her remaining five bullets all together would even be enough to gain the boss's aggro in time.

' _Come on… Mom said something about a trick they found to defeat this boss… What was it…'_ Lilly desperately tried to remember as best she could. Suddenly, the answer hit her. ' _That's right! The crown!'_

Lilly quickly aimed her fingers at the top of the boss's head. ' _Mom said they used a chakram last time for this. Let's hope fire works just as well.'_ Snapping her fingers in succession, Lilly blasted every one of her remaining bullets at Asterius's head. The flames merged together into a giant blast of fire, landing a direct hit on the boss's head.

The gigantic humanoid bull moaned in pain as it stopped attacking and stumbled around. Lilly took the opportunity to run over to her sister, grabbing her and dragging her away.

"Thanks for the save, sis." Rin said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I owe you one."

"You can pay me back by not being so reckless, you dummy." Lilly said as she continued to pull her sister along.

Yui looked over and saw Lilly getting Rin to safety. But she couldn't keep her attention on them for long, as a roar from Illfang brought her focus back to the boss she was fighting. She did her best to deal with the boss monster of Floor 1 as best she could, attacking whenever she saw an opening.

Suddenly, Yui saw Illfang make a stance for a sword skill. She quickly called out to the players around her. "Everyone, move back. Tanks, you're up!"

Several players quickly retreated to a safer distance. But one of the players tripped over as they fell back. Illfang quickly set his sights on the unlucky player as it sped at them with its katana glowing.

"Look out!" Yui yelled.

The player quickly tried to bring up their shield to defend herself, but it was to no avail. Illfang swung its katana up, knocking them into the air. Illfang leaped at the player while she was midair and delivered several slashes to the player. Each cut shaved away another chunk of their HP. The last hit knocked the girl back down to the ground, where she landed with a painful thud. Illfang dived down at the player for the finishing blow.

Yui cursed herself, knowing there was no way for her to get to the player in time. "Healers, we need a revival spe-"

The rest of the statement died on Yui's tongue as she watched Illfang deliver the final slash to the player. In ALO, players that died burned away into remain lights. But this time was different. The animation for burning away into a remain light was gone.

And replaced by the sight of the player shattering into fragments.

 **A/N: So I'm just gonna leave you all with that little cliffhanger there. Hope you enjoyed seeing Illfang return, as well as Asterius for those of you that have read the Progressive novels. Until next chapter readers.**


	46. Triple Threat

**A/N: Hey readers. Glad to see all the positive feedback for this mini arc so far. Here's the second chapter of the exciting Revenge of Aincrad.**

 **shockman294: Thanks. Happy to hear you liked it.**

Leo Industries, the company that ran Alfheim Online's servers, was in a state of panic. Not even thirty minutes ago, they had noticed a message on the Notifications board for an event that the company hadn't created. It didn't take them long to realize they had a hacker, but they were barely able to get a warning message out to all of the players before their access was booted out.

"What is going on?! Can't anyone get access to the servers?!" the CEO asked, growing increasingly irritated at the problem.

"We're sorry sir, but whoever's doing this has complete control of the system. We have no authority, other than observation."

"Then shut the servers down damnit!"

"We tried, but this hacker's preventing us from even doing that! We put a warning message on ALO's homepage, telling any family members to remove the Amu Sphere from anyone diving right now, but there's no telling how long it will take for word to spread."

"Grr… Someone get the word out to the media! I want what's happening told to every person in Japan! The safety of the players is our top priority! If anything happens to even one of them, our company's reputation will be ruined!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible sir." another one of the workers said. "You see… well…"

The CEO sighed and held his head down. "Let me guess. This hacker's locked us in the building and disabled outside communications?" The silent nod from his worker told him all he needed. "Damnit… who could possibly be doing this?"

* * *

In many VRMMOs that focused around battle, a common death animation used was the player shattering into fragments. There were exceptions to this, such as Alfheim Online due to there being ways to revive players that had died in a certain period of time. But for many games that had no such revival methods, shattering into fragments was usually what was seen when a player's HP reached zero.

The reason was simple. It was the same animation used by the very first VRMMO ever created, one where death was even more literal than every VRMMO to follow it. Sword Art Online.

Yui stared at the shattered remains of the player that had just been slain by Illfang. She had never, not once, ever seen a player die in that fashion. It was always them burning away into a remain light, waiting for a set interval of time to either be revived or respawn at the last town they visited.

But there was one game in which she had seen that . One in which she was forced to watch players experience the coldness of death by the thousands.

' _It's not real… It's not real…'_ Yui told herself. ' _This isn't SAO… It's not…'_

"Yui!" Strea's shout managed to snap Yui out of her thoughts. "Stay focused! We can't afford to have you have your head out of the game!"

Yui's breathing relaxed slightly as she nodded her head. "R-Right."

"This is insane." Naoki complained as he jumped back by the Kirigaya siblings. His gaze was focused on Asterius, standing so tall it seemed to reach the ceiling. "We've got two bosses to deal with, and now we can't even revive players?"

"And we don't exactly have many numbers as it is." Shade added.

Strea readied herself as Illfang let out a roar and charged at them. "Here it comes!" She kicked off the ground and swung her sword up, parrying Illfang's attack. "Yui! Switch!"

Yui ran forward, gripping her two swords as she closed in on Illfang. As Strea watched her sister switch in and attack, she couldn't help but feel something was off about Yui's movements. She was acting slow and sloppy. ' _What's up with her?'_

Yui slashed through Illfang with her blades. She kept slashing, and slashing, wanting all of the bad memories to go away. Her mind was so out of it that she didn't notice Illfang ready another attack.

"Yui!" Strea called out.

Yui gasped as Illfang's katana ripped through her, sending her flying back and tumbling across the ground. As Illfang was about to follow up, Naoki and Apollo intercepted the boss and pushed it back with a swing of their weapons.

"Leave this guy to us. Go back and heal." Naoki told the female Spriggan as he and Apollo charged at Illfang.

Strea ran up to her sister and handed her a health potion. "Here, use this." Her sister gratefully accepted the potion and began drinking it. "Yui… are you alright?"

"I'm fine Strea." Yui said. "Just a dumb slip up on my part, that's all."

Strea could tell Yui wasn't being honest with her. She knew how to tell when her sister was lying, seeing as the two of them had grown up together.

Over by Asterius, Rin had finally regained movement after being stunned by the boss earlier. "Finally, I can get back in the action."

"We can't go in recklessly." Lilly reminded her. "Our forces are in disarray with these two bosses. If this keeps up, we'll all be wiped out."

"But we can't spare anyone." Rin told her. "If we focus too much on one boss, the other will attack us from behind."

"Maybe not." Lilly said. "I think I know a way to keep this overgrown bull occupied."

"Really?" Rin asked, looking at her sister with widened eyes.

Lilly nodded her head. "But it's just going to be you and me, until everyone else can deal with Illfang. You ok with that?"

Rin gave her sister a thumbs up in response. "Hey we've tackled tougher challenges than this. You and I can pull this off no problem."

A smile came to Lilly's lips as she nodded. "Ok then." She called out to the players. "Everyone, listen up! Focus all of your attacks on Illfang! Leave this boss to Rin and me!"

Everyone gasped as they listened to the Cait Sith's seemingly insane command. "Lilly, are you nuts?!" Yui asked over from the group fighting Illfang. "You two can't take on a floor boss all on your own!"

"Just trust us." Rin told her with a smirk. "Lilly's got a plan."

Yui looked at the two sisters, unable to comprehend what they could be thinking. "But if your HP hits zero…"

"That won't happen." Lilly told her. She looked over to the healer of their group. "Sayaka, think we can leave healing us to you?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "I'll try. But Lilly are you-"

"Good. Now let's do this." Lilly said as she chanted out her spell for her Elemental Pistol. Once she was finished, she glanced at her sister. "You ready?"

"You bet." Rin said with a nod as she took off running, while several players ran in the opposite direction.

Asterius saw the female Salamander running towards it and inhaled for a breath attack. Before it could unleash it though, Lilly fired a bullet of fire at its crown, causing it to stagger just like before. Rin then took the opportunity to leap up and deliver a powerful punch to Asterius's stomach. Once Asterius regained its senses, it roared and prepared to attack once again. But another fire bullet from Lilly to the crown at the right moment triggered its stagger once again, allowing Rin an opening to attack. The two sisters repeated the process over and over again, knocking Asterius's HP down further each time.

Meanwhile with Illfang, the rest of the players surrounded the raging beast. Tanks were up front, trying to create an opening for everyone else to attack.

"Are Rin and Lilly going to be alright?" Tetsuya asked.

"We just have to trust them." Miku said. "The sooner we take down Illfang, the sooner we can go over and help them out."

Illfang readied its blade and spun around, knocking back all of the players near it. It then leaped into the air and readied its blade once again as it lit up.

"This is bad! That looks like a powerful hit!" Kagero said worriedly.

Out of nowhere, a figure leaped past the group and into the air straight at Illfang. Everyone gasped as Shade slashed at Illfang's belly midair, following up by kicking it away and sending it crashing into the ground. The male Spriggan landed on the ground with a roll.

"Thanks Shade. You really saved our butts." Naoki said as he got up. "Now it's our turn to return the favor. Let's go guys!"

"Right!" the other tanks all said simultaneously. Altogether, the group charged at Illfang.

Apollo saw Illfang raise its blade up. He moved up front and knelled down, using his shield to absorb the blow. He struggled to hold it back, feeling the intense pressure of the boss's sword weighing down on him. "Naoki! Strea!"

As if one cue, the two tanks in question appeared and slashed at Illfang's stomach, leaving two large gashes in it. Illfang let out a cry of pain as it stumbled back.

Miku followed up, her Rosario's Legacy glowing as she unleashed an all out sword skill attack on the boss. After that, Tetsuya moved in and sent a flurry of thrusts at Illfang.

Yui watched everyone in awe. ' _They're fighting so fiercely. Giving it everything they've got. And I've been sitting here… acting like a coward.'_ She steeled her resolve as determination burned in her eyes. ' _I refuse to sit back and do nothing. I'm going to fight with everything I've got too.'_ Without a second though, Yui kicked off the ground and took off running at Illfang.

Strea roared as she slashed at Illfang. She saw the boss prepare an attack. Strea swung her sword to parry, but the blade moved differently than she had anticipated. Illfang delivered a clean slash on her, knocking her back and sending her HP falling down. Illfang lunged at her to attack her again.

Just before Illfang reached the female Gnome, Yui came in and delivered a Vorpal Strike sword skill to Illfang, sending it flying back. Strea breathed a sigh of relief as her sister stood over her. "Thanks sis."

"Don't mention it." Yui said. "Now what do you say we finish this guy off together."

"Sounds good to me." Strea nodded as she took off running with her sister.

As the two Kirigaya sisters ran, Yui recalled when she had watched the first floor boss fight from her secluded space in Aincrad's servers. She had felt so much despair from all of the players, having to fight such an overwhelming battle and watching their leader Diabel die in front of them. But Kirito and Asuna, her mother and father, had still managed to fight through it and win.

"Let's do this Strea!" Yui called out.

"You got it!" Strea confirmed.

The two girls closed in on Illfang just as it was getting back up. Yui went in first and slashed with both of her swords, then switched with her sister who moved in and slashed at Illfang with her own sword, making Illfang stumble back. It wasn't willing to give in however, as Illfang roared and raised its blade to attack.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Yui and Strea shouted together as they slashed past the boss simultaneously. Time seemed to freeze as the two sisters stood with their backs to Illfang, and the boss not moving a muscle. Then Illfang became wrapped in light before shattering into fragments.

Yui and Strea both breathed a sigh of relief as they fell to their knees. The two sisters gave each other a fist bump as they grinned at each other.

"We did it Yui." Strea told her sister.

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah. We sure did." She turned over towards the other boss in the room. "Now we've just got one more thing to do."

Asterius was nearing its last health bar as Rin danced around it, hitting it each chance she got while Lilly kept its attention with her magic.

' _I've only got one bullet left.'_ Lilly thought to herself. ' _Better make it count.'_

"Hey… Lilly…?" Rin asked. "Any idea what that's all about?"

Lilly looked at the boss and widened her eyes as the skin of Asterius slowly began to get darker, eventually becoming pitch black. It let out a mighty roar that seemed to shake the entire room. The Cait Sith knew she had to land a hit on Asterius's crown again before it attacked. She quickly aimed and fired her last bullet of fire, making a direct hit with the crown.

' _Perfect shot!'_ Lilly grinned. But what followed next caused the joy on the girl's face to quickly vanish. Asterius wasn't staggering like before. Instead, it seemed madder than ever. ' _Oh crap!'_

Rin seemed to notice what was going on with the boss too as fear became etched onto her face. "Lilly… Got a Plan B by any chance?"

"Get out of there Rin! Hurry!" Lilly called out. She quickly began chanting out her Elemental Pistol spell once again.

Rin quickly turned tail and ran, but Asterius wasn't willing to let the Salamander girl simply walk away. It raised its fist and quickly punched the ground near her. It swung a flurry of punches in quick succession, shaking the ground and bombarding Rin.

"Rin!" Lilly exclaimed. Finally finished recasting her spell, Lilly took aim at Asterius's head. "Over here you dumb ox!"

Ten consecutive snaps came from Lilly's fingers, unloading every ounce of her ammo on the boss. The flames shot out together with such great force that the recoil blew Lilly off her feet and made the girl fall onto the floor. The blast hit Asterius with a massive explosion that knocked its health down into the red. All of its attention turned to the mage that had just damaged it so much.

Rin saw Asterius prepare to attack Lilly. She brought her fist back, her hand glowing with light before she leaped into the air. "Don't even think about it, you bastard!"

Rin's uppercut slammed into Asterius's jaw, making the boss stand back up from the force of the hit. Lilly called out to her sister, with a new set of bullets at the ready. "Rin, jump into the air! Get ready for a boost!"

The female Salamander had a pretty good idea of what her sister was planing. She put all of her strength into her legs and leaped as high as she could into the air. As she did, Lilly took aim with her spell, lining up Rin in her sights.

"Here it comes!" Lilly shouted as she snapped her fingers, this time firing a blast of wind directly at her sister. The wind blasted Rin directly at Asterius's head as she reeled her fist back.

"TAKE THIS!" Rin shouted as she swung her fist forward with all of her might. The punch made direct contact with Asterius, nearly making the beast's eyes bulge out. It fell back from the force of the hit, causing its head to hit against the wall. The nearby mages at the edge of the room ran away as Asterius slumped down by them. It let out one last moan of pain before shattering into fragments. A Congratulations sign appeared in the center of the room, confirming everyone's victory.

"Aw yeah! We kicked butt!" Rin cheered as she leaped into the air to celebrate their victory and high fived her sister.

Multiple cheers shouted in agreement with Rin. But a majority of the players were simply relieved that they had survived the perilous boss fight.

"Ok, so does someone want to tell me what's going on?" a player asked. "First we get that weird cryptic message, then we get thrown headfirst into a crazy hard boss fight, and now we still can't log out."

The players in the room looked around at each other, hoping someone had an explanation for them. But everyone was equally confused and worried about their situation.

"There's only one thing we can do." Strea said, calling out to all of the players in the room. "We can't log out so we just have to play this out and keep moving forward. We have to reach the end of this crazy event eventually."

Players began to nod in agreement. It made enough sense. Sitting around and doing nothing wouldn't accomplish anything.

Yui however was still kneeling on the floor. Her mind was too focused on the player that had shattered into fragments in front of her. ' _That player… Did she die in the real world too…?'_

"Yui, come on. The door to the next area is open." Strea told her sister, reaching out a hand to her.

Looking up at her sister, Yui grabbed Strea's hand and stood back up. "Right. Let's keep moving."

In the back of Yui's mind however, she was still scared. What would happen if their HP hit zero. Would they die? Would she have to watch her sister and closest friends die in front of her eyes. The very thought terrified her.

As the group walked through the door to what was supposed to be the floor boss room, they each found themselves teleported. Their new location was far bigger than the usual size of a room for a raid boss. In fact, it was a boss room unlike anything any of them had ever seen.

"This is… the Town of Beginnings." Lilly realized. "Why'd we get teleported to Floor 1 of New Aincrad?"

"I don't think we actually did." Yui said. "Look around. No one else is here, player or NPC."

"So we're in some kind of copy of the Town of Beginnings?" Miku asked.

"Look! Up there!" Sayaka exclaimed, pointing towards the sky. Everyone looked towards where the Undine was pointing and saw a blinking red sign.

' _No…'_ Yui thought, her eyes widening with fear. ' _This is just like the opening day of Sword Art Online.'_

Just as Yui thought that, she noticed something was slightly different. Back during SAO, the message blinking had been 'System Announcement'. This time, it read 'Warning: Boss Fight Incoming'. Altogether, the blinking message multiplied and spread out around the sky. Red ooze dripped from the sky in three different areas of the city.

"Wh-What's going on?" one of the players gasped.

Their question was soon answered as the ooze formed together in each of the areas, turning into three powerful bosses. The first was a large multi-headed snake with black scales and piercing emerald eyes. The next was a gigantic humanoid monster with an axe in one hand and a hammer in the other. Lastly was a skeletal centipede monster with two scythes for hands.

' _No… This can't be happening…'_ Yui thought as she fell to her knees. ' _The Hydra Orochi… The Gigas Titan… The Skull Reaper… It's the bosses from Floors 25, 50, and 75. We have to fight them all at once?!'_

"This is nuts!" one of the players exclaimed. "We have to fight three bosses now?! And they all look stronger than the last two!"

"What do we do?!" another player asked.

"Alright, everyone calm down!" Lilly's shout caused everyone to fall silent and turn their attention towards the Cait Sith. "Panicking isn't going to do us any good! We need to stay calm and take these things down!" She looked at the group they had. "We'll split up into three teams and tackle the bosses separately. One group will focus on taking down one of the bosses while the other two try to keep the other bosses busy. Once the first group deals with the first boss, they'll move and help another group take down their boss."

"And then we'll all attack the last boss in one giant attack." Apollo realized.

"Precisely." Lilly nodded. "Alright, everyone form up and let's make teams. The two distraction groups will have one led by me, and another led by Apollo. The group in charge of taking out the first boss will be led by-" Lilly was about to say Yui's name, but stopped when she saw the state Yui was in. "Yui? What's wrong?"

Yui now had all eyes on her as she kneeled on the ground. She couldn't stop the trembling. ' _What's wrong with me? Why can't I move?'_

"I… I'm fine." Yui said as she slowly managed to shake off her trembling and get to her feet.

Lilly wasn't completely convinced, but they didn't have time to debate. If they waited too long, the three bosses would close in on them and they'd be slaughtered. "Ok then. If you say so. Yui, you'll be in charge of dealing with the snake boss in the southeast part of the town."

Yui nodded her head, but was still feeling hesitant about this. Was she the only one who realized how similar their situation was to SAO, or the fact that these three bosses were from SAO as well? If she was, she couldn't afford to tell the others. Everyone would panic for sure.

"Let's get going Yui. Our team's picked out." Strea said. "We're counting on you, leader."

Yui nodded her head, not realizing how long she had been lost in thought. "R-Right. Let's go."

Yui's group ran towards the part of the town where the Hydra Orochi was currently advancing from. Finally taking notice of her team, she saw that it was pretty balanced. She also saw some familiar faces with her and her sister, in the form of Tetsuya and Sayaka, among the group.

Taking a deep breath, Yui steeled herself for the difficult fight about to take place. "Everyone, split up. Try to keep all of the heads occupied. Dodge its bites and then attack. Mages and archers, keep your distance. Those snake heads probably have long reach."

The team all nodded silently and separated, leaping up towards the rooftops. Sayaka and the other mages stayed behind, ready with long range and healing spells.

The Hydra Orochi noticed the players coming towards it and let out a hiss before lunging at them. Yui dodged a bite from one of the heads and landed on top of it. She ran along the snake body, cutting her sword into the boss as she did so. The Hydra Orochi swung its body up, shaking Yui off of it. As she was helpless midair, Strea leaped above Yui and slashed her sword down on the head that was about to attack her sister. Once both sisters landed on the ground, they went in for an attack at the boss once again.

Tetsuya nimbly sidestepped away as one of the snake heads lunged at him. Before the head could retract, he thrusted his rapier forward, piercing its eye. The snake head let out a loud cry of pain as it flailed around in the air before glaring back at Tetsuya. The Sylph smirked at the head, taunting it to attack him again. He dodged the next bite by leaping up at the last second. Several downward thrusts from his rapier followed which pierced the snake's body. The force from the sword skill propelled him into the air, allowing him to dive back down for one final thrust. The damage he had done attracted the attention of a few other heads, but a blast of ice took their attention away. Tetsuya glanced back to see the one who had fired the spell was Sayaka, standing a few roofs back.

The constant onslaught of slashes and cuts was beginning to irritate the Hydra Orochi. It brought all of its heads back and let out a powerful roar, pushing some of the players back. It then inhaled and breathed out gas from its heads.

Yui's eyes widened at the gas. "Everyone! Get away from there!"

Most players had the common sense to know to avoid the gas and retreat. However a few players were too slow to realize the danger and got caught up in the gas. Their bodies instantly felt numb and they fell over, being hit with a paralysis debuff.

Yui knew they had to do something and quick. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw the multiple heads of the Hydra Orochi prepare to lunge at the paralyzed players. "No!"

Strea saw her sister about to rush in, but quickly grabbed her arm. "Yui, are you crazy?! You'll just get paralyzed too if you go in there now!"

"We have to do something!" Yui screamed at her sister. "If we don't they'll die!"

Several players yelled out in fear as the boss lunged at them, taking out a huge amount of their HP. Some even lost all of their HP, shattering in midair.

Seeing the fragments of the player avatars dance in the air, Yui felt her entire body grow cold. ' _No… Those players… Are they dead too now?'_

Yui's legs lost all of their strength and the girl fell to her knees. Strea noticed this and looked at her sister worriedly. "Yui? Hey, Yui?! What's wrong?!"

The shouts from Strea didn't reach Yui however. Her mind was elsewhere, remembering all of the death she had already been forced to endure.

* * *

 _Yui stood in the dark empty area she had been isolated in since the launch date of SAO. All access outside was forbidden to her, the only window to the game provided being the screens surrounding her as she watched the negativity from players all over Aincrad._

 _Suddenly on one of the screens, Yui saw a player stand on the edge of Aincrad, with only the empty clouds below him. Her eyes widened as she called out. "No! Don't do it!"_

 _Her pleas couldn't reach the player however, with her trapped in that space. The player fell over the edge, sinking down into the clouds below. Yet another victim added to the death toll of Sword Art Online._

 _The players that had just watched the suicide stood motionless, eyes filled with shock, fear, and sadness. Players feeling such negativity would usually have been Yui's first priority to help. But Cardinal forbid it. She had no way of going to them._

 _Negative emotions were felt by players all over Aincrad. She saw some that would stay huddled in their rooms, locked away in the Town of Beginnings. Others would attack fellow players, either not believing the death game was real or not caring about it._

" _Please…" Yui begged, falling to her knees as tears formed in her eyes. "Let me help them. Let me do something to save them. Or else… why was I born?"_

 _Her words echoed in the darkness around her. There was nothing she could do. No way to save the players that so desperately needed her. All she could do was sit in the empty void provided to her and watch the suffering continue._

" _I can't save them… I can't… I can't do anything…"_

* * *

"YUI!"

Finally Strea's voice managed to bring Yui back to reality. Her eyes blinked in surprise, just now realizing Strea was right in front of her. "St-Strea…"

"Yui, what's the matter with you? Snap out of it!" Strea told her sister.

"Those players…" Yui muttered. "They're dead… They're dead…"

"Yui, what are you talking about?" Strea asked.

"Don't you get it Strea?!" Yui screamed. "This event! It's SAO all over again! Those players that died didn't turn into remain lights! They shattered away, just like in SAO! They're dead, both in the virtual world and the real one!"

Strea widened her eyes at her sister. "Yui…"

"They're dead Strea! They're dead and I couldn't save them!" Yui cried. "I don't want to watch everyone die again! I don't-"

Yui was cut off by a slap across the face that came from her sister. Strea grabbed Yui by her shoulders and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Yui, look at me! They're not using the Nerve Gear! Everyone here is diving with an Amu Sphere! Name one way that the Amu Sphere can kill a person!"

Yui stared blankly at her sister. "I… I don't-"

"Exactly! You don't know! You don't know because there isn't a way!" Strea told her. "Yui, those players aren't dead for real. There's no way they could be."

Yui thought about her sister's words. She remembered all of the talks she would have with her father about VR equipment including the Amu Sphere. She knew how the device worked, inside and out. It was built with extremely strict safety features that were constantly being updated with each new model. And no matter how hard she thought about it, there was no possible theory she could come up with for the Amu Sphere, especially the most up to date ones, to kill a person.

Strea hugged her sister tightly. "It's alright Yui. Nobody is going to die. I'm not going to die. I'll be right by your side the whole time."

"Strea…" Yui muttered. She hugged her little sister back. She didn't want to lose her. She wanted to stay like this with her forever. But so many more people would be lost if they didn't fight right here and now.

The female Gnome got to her feet and grinned at her sister. "Now let's go. We have a boss fight to win."

Yui finally managed to move again. She got back to her feet with fire burning in her eyes. "Yeah. Let's do this."

* * *

"Are they almost done yet?!"

"Give them a little more time! We have to hold out until Yui's group gets here!"

Lilly's team was finding it difficult to deal with their boss, The Gigas Titan, as they waited for Yui's team to defeat The Hydra Orochi and come help them. The giant boss they were faced with was giving them a lot of trouble. Their attacks were having no effect and the shockwaves created from its smash attacks were difficult to evade.

Lilly gave out commands to the players with her. "Everyone who's health is yellow or lower, fall back to the healers. We can't afford to lose any numbers with how few we have already."

The Cait Sith wasn't kidding about their small numbers. With most of the players they had going with Yui's group in order to get a quick finish for the Hydra Orochi, Lilly and Apollo's groups barely amounted to ten players for either one of them. Each of them only had two healers at their disposal as well.

Lilly fired a blast from her Elemental Pistol at the boss's head, grabbing its attention. As the Gigas Titan raised its hammer up, Lilly took off running in the opposite direction. The hammer swung down, destroying the building she was standing on and sending Lilly flailing around in the air. Just as the Gigas Titan was about to swing its axe at her, she managed to fire another blast at the boss's face, stunning it for a moment. Lilly landed painfully on the ground, but she still managed to get up and fall back towards the rear.

Rin danced across the destroyed buildings, all victims from the boss's hammer attacks, and leaped up towards the boss. She unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, but they didn't seem too do much damage. She quickly jumped back as the boss was about to crush her with a stomp of its foot. She fell back towards her sister.

"Lilly, I know our focus isn't on beating that thing right now, but I don't know how much longer we can hold out." Rin said. "Even our tanks can't defend against that things attacks. And these hit and run tactics are starting to wear us out."

Lilly glanced behind them. The center of town from where they had all started was drawing closer and closer the more they fell back. She could see Apollo and Miku's group was having a similar issue, with the Skull Reaper. If those two bosses met up, their two groups would be destroyed for sure.

' _Damnit Lilly, think! What would dad do in this situation?!'_ Lilly asked herself. Her father was one of the best minds out of the SAO clearing group. Surely there was some sort of strategy he had told her about that could work here.

Cries of pain came from players as the Gigas Titan smashed them with its overwhelming power. Multiple players had their HP hit zero and shattered away to nothing.

Lilly watched has their already dwindling numbers decreased even further. Her arms dropped down as helplessness came over her. ' _There's… nothing. I can't think of any way out of this. Even after coming up with this plan in the first place.'_

Shade landed near the two sisters, clearly worn out from keeping the Gigas Titan busy. "We can't keep this up. That thing is going to wipe us out at this rate. We need to fall back and regroup."

"But the town square is only a few blocks behind us." Rin said. "We can't afford to let it get any closer to the boss that Apollo and the others are fighting."

"Well we need to do something and fast." Shade said. "We've only got five of the players in our group left."

Rin looked at her sister. "Lilly…"

"I… I…" Lilly cursed herself out, not knowing what they should do. ' _Dad… somebody… help me… I… I don't know what to do.'_

"Does somebody need a hand?"

The sudden voice caused Lilly's eyes to widen as she, Rin, and Shade all turned to see a group of players rush past them and charge at the Gigas Titan. Among them, Lilly saw Yui, glancing down at her with a reassuring smile as she raced towards the boss.

"They came…" Lilly said, crying out tears of joy.

"Sorry we're late." Sayaka said as she appeared near the trio. "It took longer than we thought to beat our boss. Here, let me heal you guys up."

"Thanks Sayaka." Rin grinned as the Undine chanted out a spell, recovering their HP back to max. The female Salamander cracked her knuckles. "Alright, let's kick some ass."

Without another word, Rin took off running at the boss, soon followed by Shade. Sayaka looked at Lilly, who had stayed behind. "Lilly? Are you ok?"

"I was so worried." Lilly said. "I thought my plan had failed and I had doomed us all. I thought that had made everyone's hard work all be for nothing."

Sayaka put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's fine Lilly. You didn't fail. We're going to succeed with this plan of yours."

"Thanks." Lilly said with a nod of her head. "I just wish we didn't suffer so many casualties."

"Yeah, we lost our fair share of players too fighting the Hydra Orochi." Sayaka said. "But there was no way we were getting through this without any loses. Thanks to you though Lilly, we managed to find a way through this without it being a complete suicide mission."

Lilly looked back towards the Gigas Titan, where several flashes of light were seen from players attacking the gigantic boss. They had all come this far. They had trusted in her and believed in her plan. And she wasn't about to ignore that trust.

"You stay back and heal Sayaka. I'm gonna help finish this." Lilly said as she kicked off the ground and started running towards the boss. She leaped up, jumping off the sides of buildings to reach the roof of a building yet to be destroyed. She blew out a whistle, making her familiar appear at her side.

"You ready Nikko? I'm gonna need all your power for this one." Lilly said. The little dragon chirped and nodded at its master. "Alright, Flare Boost!"

At Lilly's command, Nikko breathed out a crimson colored dust onto Lilly, raising the strength of her fire magic. She called out multiple other commands, having Nikko give her buff after buff. Lilly was finally ready, just as Nikko's MP was nearing its limit. The red dragon landed on its master's head, fully exhausted.

"Thanks Nikko, you did great. Take a nice rest." Lilly told her familiar. She tucked the small dragon into her hood hanging from the back of her neck. After that, she started chanting out a spell. As she spoke out the incantation, she held her hands out. Flames began to gather between her hands, becoming bigger and bigger. It was the strongest fire spell Lilly had at her arsenal. Its long chant and poor accuracy made its practical use in battle quite weak. But against a giant slow boss like the Gigas Titan, it was the perfect weapon if she had others to distract it for her.

"Everyone, get clear of the boss!" Lilly shouted. Players glanced over at Lilly and saw the giant swirling ball of flames in her hands. They quickly got out of the way, giving Lilly a clear shot at the boss.

"Take this! Judgement Inferno!"

As she shouted out her attack, fire blasted out from her hands, flying towards the boss. With all of the buffs to her fire power and magic stat in general from Nikko, Lilly had to dig her feet in to keep from getting blown back by the recoil. The stream of flames collided into the Gigas Titan, decreasing its HP drastically. The force behind the attack knocked it off balance, causing it to begin to fall back.

Exhausting all of her MP with the spell, Lilly fell to one knee. "Go everyone!" she shouted. "Finish it!"

With a collective war cry, the remaining players all charged at the boss, cutting and slashing it as it fell back. Yui leaped up into the air and dived down, swinging her two swords together. "Raaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Yui's slash finished off what was left of the Gigas Titan's health as the boss shattered altogether. The female Spriggan landed on the street and breathed a sigh of relief. "One more to go."

"Alright everyone! Let's hurry over to the last team. They're probably at their limit." Strea called out to the players. She led the charge as the players all jumped from rooftop to rooftop towards where the Skull Reaper battle was taking place.

Lilly stayed behind, kneeling down to catch her breath. She grabbed a mana potion from her belt and quickly guzzled it down, recovering some of her MP.

"You did good Lilly." Yui said as she landed next to the Cait Sith. "Now we just have to finish off the last boss."

"Thanks." Lilly said. A few seconds of silence passed before she spoke again. "Hey Yui… These bosses… they were from SAO too, right?"

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah. They were from Floors 25, 50, and 75."

"And all the players that have died so far shattered instead of turning into remain lights."

"So you thought about it too?"

Lilly nodded her head. "I realized it, but didn't want to say anything and worry everyone. Whoever's behind this, they're trying to recreate the horror of SAO. But… can they really make us die in the real world too?"

"... I don't really know." Yui said. "No matter how hard I think about it, I can't think of anyway the Amu Sphere could kill a person. But that doesn't mean it's one hundred percent certain." She reached out her hand to Lilly. "What I do know though is that thinking about it won't get us anywhere. We just have to keep fighting and reach the truth."

Lilly grabbed Yui's hand as she got to her feet. "Alright. Let's go. And when we find the person behind this, we'll give him a piece of our minds."

Yui nodded with a grin. "That's a plan I can get behind."

The two girls quickly got moving as they headed for the battle against the Skull Reaper. As they got closer, they saw Sayaka healing Miku, who had barely any HP left.

"Miku!" Yui called out as she and Lilly landed near her. "What's the situation?"

"That boss is insane. I have no idea how our parents fought it in the past." Miku said, heavily exhausted. "It took out everyone but me, Apollo, and Naoki."

"There's only three of you left?!" Lilly gasped.

Miku nodded her head. "I nearly got taken out too, but Apollo and Naoki saved me at the last second. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to hold out, but then everyone arrived." the female Imp let out a sigh of relief. "If you guys didn't show up when you did, I don't know what we would have done."

"Just take it easy and rest up." Lilly said. "Leave the rest to us."

"Are you kidding? No way am I sitting out after all this." Miku said as she got to her feet. "Once my HP is back at full, I'm going back in there. And I'm gonna get that last attack for sure."

Yui looked at her friend with a grin, happy to see she was still managing to stay upbeat. "That's if there's anything left for you by then." She kicked off the roof and charged in at the Skull Reaper with both her swords drawn.

Miku smirked as she watched Yui run off. "Don't go hogging it all to yourself!"

Yui roared as she closed in on the Skull Reaper. It let out a cry and swung its two scythe hands at her, but Naoki and Apollo appeared and managed to block them midair.

"Glad you could join us, Yui." Naoki smirked. "You wanna take a crack at this thing?"

"Don't mind if I do!" Yui yelled as she swung her two blades down, cutting through the Skull Reaper. The skeletal monster let out a roar, thrashing around violently. A few players were struck by its tail, causing them to lose the rest of their HP and shatter.

"You're going down, here and now!" Rin yelled. She slid under the boss and swung an uppercut at its underbelly, decreasing its HP even further. Tetsuya danced along the body of the boss, stabbing his rapier into it each chance he saw. Naoki and Strea both came down at the boss from above, slamming into its back and slashing it with their blades.

"Finish it guys!" Strea called out to the last of them that had yet to attack.

"With pleasure!" Kagero shouted, ducking under a slash from one of the Skull Reaper's scythes. And swinging her blade up, cutting its face. As the boss glared down at her, Apollo slammed his axe into its head from above. They both jumped back, leaving the finishing to the player charging at it now.

Miku's blade became veiled in a blue light as she leaped in and delivered a series of slashes at the boss. "Now go back to the grave where you belong!"

The female Imp's final slash finished the job. The Skull Reaper let out a cry as it shook around one last time before exploding into polygons.

Like with the fight against Illfang and Asterius, a Congratulations sign appeared over them, signaling their victory. Cheers came from the players still alive to celebrate their victory. The cheering didn't last long however, as their exhaustion was all too apparent for their bodies once the adrenaline rush of battle died down.

Yui took a moment to look at the players they had left. Most of their numbers had fallen in the battle just now. The only ones left were herself and her friends, Miku, Apollo, and Kagero, as well as Shade. Everyone else had fallen in the battles leading up to now. She could only pray their real world selves were safe at least. And if they weren't, she was going to make whoever did this pay with a thousand times interest.

"Are we done yet?" Apollo asked. "I feel like I've run a marathon after fighting five bosses."

As if to answer the Leprechaun's question, a pillar of light shot up from the town square. The players all looked towards it, stretching up and piercing the sky. That was almost definitely the way forward.

Yui opened up her menu. "Logout button's still missing. Looks like we still have more to do."

"I don't get it though." Rin groaned. "Who's keeping us trapped here?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Yui said. She walked towards the pillar of light in the town. "Let's go."

Following Yui, the group all slowly made their way to the pillar that would lead them to their next challenge. The light got more and more blinding the closer they got.

As they walked through the pillar, they found themselves teleported to a new location. Looking at the new setting, they found themselves faced with two massive red royal doors.

"Is this… the Ruby Palace?" Lilly asked.

"Were on Floor 100." Miku realized.

"I knew it." Yui muttered. The female Spriggan walked forward and pushed the doors open.

The group all walked inside, finding themselves in a throne room. Fancy red carpet and pillars of the same color covered the room. A long hall separated them from the throne on the other side where someone was waiting for them, sitting on the throne. The sight of the man made Yui scowl deeply.

"I congratulate you all on making it this far." The man said with a seemingly innocent smile.

"Kayaba." Yui growled. Everyone else but her had their eyes wide with shock. The creator of SAO posing in the same avatar of Heathcliff he had back in the time of SAO was right in front of their eyes.

"You don't seem too surprised, Yui." Heathcliff said.

"There was something in the back of my mind that was bothering me." Yui said. "When I first saw the event, it said Revenge of Aincrad. Why wasn't it New Aincrad? That was the castle that was cleared in ALO after all. Then as this event went on, we kept being faced with Floor bosses from the original Aincrad rather than New Aincrad. And to top it all off, the person keeping us from logging out had to have passed through ALO's network security. There's only one person in the world I could think of that would be able to do all of that."

"Quite the deduction." Kayaba said with a pleased smile.

"Wait, so you're the psycho that created SAO?!" Miku gasped.

Heathcliff sighed as he shook his head. "I prefer the term pioneer, but I suppose history has made me out to be somewhat insane."

Yui glared at Heathcliff. "Your sick game killed nearly 4000 people. If that isn't insane, I don't know what is."

"Perhaps, but Sword Art Online was also the way in which you were created. Kirito and Asuna may have adopted you as their daughter, but you cannot deny it was I who gave you life to begin with." Heathcliff countered. He looked at the rest of the group. "The same can be said for most of you as well in a sense. SAO was where most of your parents met after all."

Sayaka gasped. "Wait, you mean you know who our parents are?!"

"The Crimson Flash Ren, The Berserker Lotus Alice, The Black Swordsman Kirito, Lightning Flash Asuna, Arctic Swordsman Ion, Daughter of Darkness Angel, and plenty of others." Heathcliff said with a knowing grin. "Frankly if their old selves saw you though, I can't help but feel they'd have the same disappointment I feel."

Rin clenched her fists tightly. "Don't do dare go assuming a thing about our parents, you bastard."

"Yeah!" Naoki said. "And what do you mean by disappointment?! We worked our asses off to fight our way here!"

"True, you did manage to make it this far. For that, you have my praise." Heathcliff admitted. "However, you all still fight as simple players, not as warriors."

"What are you talking about?" Strea asked.

"You all act so carefree. ALO is only a simple VRMMO after all. It's a world where you can enjoy yourselves without any worry." The man rose to his feet and began to walk down the stairway in front of the throne. "But the world I created, Sword Art Online, brought out the true strength of its players. Their instincts were sharpened to their finest point. They had strength that rivaled that of most other VRMMO players."

"That's because they had to fight for their lives!" Lilly told him. "No one should ever be forced into a hellish situation like that!"

"And yet there is a downside to this peaceful nature of the world." Heathcliff explained. "Your parent's time in ALO took away the skills they had acquired in my world. They degraded from the strong warriors that defeated me to simple gamers with dulled senses. And you are all no different."

"That's enough!" the sudden shout from Yui caused everyone to turn their attention to the female Spriggan. "My parents and so many others fought to free everyone from that nightmare you created, Kayaba! They sacrificed so much to push on and make it to the end! And now you have the nerve to criticize how they lived their lives after making it out of SAO?!" She glared hatefully at the man. "And what was the point of this?! Why did you put us all in this situation, making us fight SAO bosses and keeping us from logging out?!"

Heathcliff let out a sigh. "I've been observing this world for years on end. And the players I see keep becoming more and more complacent and dull with their skills. I haven't seen the same spark in any of their eyes as I did with one player in particular. The Black Swordsman of SAO, Kirito."

"My dad? What does he have to do with this?"

"I want the same thrill of excitement I felt in my final battle against him. But after all these years, there's no doubt in my mind he wouldn't be able to step up to the challenge. It's been years since he's even fought for fun. So I went with the next best thing. Trying to awake the warrior within the one he passed all of his skills and knowledge onto."

"Me?" Yui asked. Her fists became clenched even more tightly. "You did all this because you wanted to duel me?!"

"Nothing else would bring the same feeling as the duel I had with Kirito back then." Heathcliff said with a nod. "But I needed to sharpen your senses to their peak first. And just like with your father, I knew the way to do that was to put you in a situation where the game stopped being a game."

"Tell me one thing." Yui said. "The players that died up to this point. Are they alright?"

"You needn't worry. The only thing that happened to them is that they were respawned to the teleport gate of Floor 99's town. They were free to leave after that."

"Good." Yui said as she reached for her two swords, unsheathing them. "Then the only thing I have to think about now is tearing you limb from limb."

A smirk came to Heathcliff's face. "There it is. That's the fire in your eyes I wanted to see. Let's finish this right."

"Hold up." Rin said as she stepped forward. The female Salamander cracked her knuckles. "If you think all your getting is a fight with Yui, you've got another thing coming."

Yui looked at her friend, surprised to see her stepping up. "Rin?"

Naoki stepped forward as well, bringing out his large sword. "That's right. We all fought our way here."

"And we all want a crack at the asshole that wants to mock how serious we are when it comes to our fighting skills." Miku added.

"We all made it this way together. And we're gonna beat you the same way, Kayaba." Lilly told the man standing across from them.

"You're not just fighting Yui. You're fighting all of us." Strea said.

Yui saw the determination in the eyes of all of her friends. "Everyone…"

A smirk came to Kayaba's lips. "So you all wish to challenge me. Very well then." He opened a menu and tapped around through the tabs on it. When he finished, a massive aura erupted from his body. The group all stood at the ready as Heathcliff was shining with a bright aura around his body, almost definitely signaling a power up from him.

"This is the final boss of my event. You face Heathcliff, the Demon King and creator of Sword Art Online!" Heathcliff said. "Now show me this strength of yours that you so arrogantly boast of."

 **And just like that this arc is coming to a close. I did say it was a mini arc after all. But don't worry, I have plenty of action planned for the final battle between Heathcliff and the new generation of ALO players. Hope you all liked seeing old bosses from I Will Not Bow and SAO itself as well.**


	47. Old and New Alike

**A/N: Sorry about this being a day late everybody. Was really busy yesterday so I didn't have a chance to update the chapter. Here it is though, the final battle against Kayaba.**

"Raaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Yui roared as she swung her two swords down at Heathcliff. Hatred burned in her eyes. She couldn't stand it. The smug look on his face. The way he toyed with people's lives and didn't seem to care. Hatred was the only thing she felt towards him. There was nothing she wanted more than to run her swords through his chest.

But of course, fighting against a tank made that hard to do.

Heathcliff's shield easily blocked Yui's blades. The aura surrounding him was now undoubtedly a stat booster because he didn't seem to budge a millimeter from her attack, and shrugged her off with minimum effort.

"Switch!" Yui called out.

At her call, Naoki moved in and and swung his sword horizontally at their opponent. Heathcliff dug his feet in, managing to hold back the powerful attack with his shield. As the force behind Naoki's attack faded, Heathcliff thrusted his blade forward.

Naoki tried to jump back to avoid the blade, but he still took a small stab to the shoulder. "Switch!"

Following up with the wave of attacks, Miku and Shade flanked Heathcliff's right and left sides, going in for an attack together. However, both of their eyes widened when Heathcliff managed to block one of them with his shield and the other with his sword simultaneously.

"No way!" Miku gasped.

"Heh, such a straightforward attack." Heathcliff chuckled as he swung his body around a full 360 degrees, knocking Miku and Shade back.

"This is nuts." Miku grunted as she got back up. "Even with those stats, how is he able to block our attacks one after another?"

"Dealing with a bunch of mere children is childsplay for me." Heathcliff said with a smirk. "I've honed myself against simulation monsters since before you were all born. This is what I meant when I said you don't have the same level of skill your parents had."

"Will you shut up about our parents already?!" Rin shouted as she came diving down from above with a powerful punch. Heathcliff brought his shield up, being forced to one knee as he absorbed the hit and shoved Rin away. As her feet skidded across the floor, she called out to her sister. "Lilly, now!"

Heathcliff turned his head behind him just as a series of snaps came from Lilly's fingers, sending a blast of fire at him. The group all watched as the fire blast hit the creator of SAO, engulfing him in flames upon impact.

"D-Did we get him?" Sayaka asked.

"You better believe we got him!" Strea cheered with a grin.

"Not bad." the group all gasped as the flames around Heathcliff were blown away with a wave of the tank player's shield. "I barely managed to guard that one in time."

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" Naoki complained.

Heathcliff let out a sigh. "I had hoped you would all be able to entertain me more than this. Perhaps I was expecting too much of you all."

"Kayaba!" Yui roared as she charged in and swung her swords around, attacking with slash after slash, each hit blocked by Heathcliff.

"I was especially expecting more from you. You were taught by Kirito himself after all." Heathcliff said. He waved his shield up, parrying Yui's next slash and knocking her off balance. He slashed at Yui with his own sword before swinging his shield forward, sending her flying back and crashing into a pillar.

"Yui!" Strea exclaimed.

Yui grunted as she stood back up. Suddenly, a refreshing feeling washed over her. She saw her HP rise back up a bit, along with everyone else's.

"Don't worry everyone. I'll keep your HP up." Sayaka said, currently using a wide range healing spell.

"Thanks Sayaka." Rin said, grateful they had someone to heal them, considering revival wasn't an option.

Heathcliff took notice of Sayaka staying in the back, healing the group of players fighting him. His attention was taken away from her quickly though as Apollo charged in, swinging his axe. Yet again, Heathcliff blocked the attack with his shield.

"Miku!" Apollo called out.

Knowing what her brother had in mind, Miku appeared right behind him and sprang up from her brother's shoulder. Her sword lit aglow as she thrusted it down at Heathcliff while her brother kept the shield busy.

"Is that all?" Heathcliff asked, ducking down just enough for Miku's blade to go over him. As Miku and Apollo gasped in shock, Heathcliff swept his leg under Apollo, knocking the Leprechaun off balance along with Miku. Heathcliff's shield swung up into Miku, sending her flying up. Her body hit the ceiling and came crashing back down.

Before she could crash into the floor, Rin leaped up and caught the female Imp, holding her as they both landed on the floor of the castle.

"Thanks Rin." Miku said as she stood back up.

"Don't mention it." Rin said.

Heathcliff ran forward, no longer standing still and playing defense. Lilly fired another few bullets of fire at him, but Heathcliff's shield blocked them with ease. Strea came diving down from above, her sword glowing with the light of a skill. Heathcliff paused his charge, bracing himself to block the female Gnome's attack.

"Yui's not the only one mentored by Kirito." Strea grinned.

"So it would seem." Heathcliff grinned back as he struggled to hold back Strea's powerful attack.

Tetsuya appeared behind Heathcliff while Strea held him at bay. Several thrusts came from his rapier, finally scoring the first few hits on the man. But as he attempted to follow up, Heathcliff sword became cloaked with electricity. He sprang up, brushing Strea off him. He raised his blade up and came diving back down.

"Thunder Avalanche!"

Strea and Tetsuya gasped, attempting to jump back and avoid the incoming attack. However, Heathcliff's attack wasn't as simple as that. He smashed into the ground, swinging his sword sideways in a certain direction. Following the path of his sword swing, a wave of electricity spread out. Both Strea and Tetsuya became caught up in it, taking massive damage. The attack continued to flow further, hitting more and more of the group.

"Hang on everyone! I'll heal you!" Sayaka said, but she gasped as she noticed the wave hadn't stopped yet. It hit the Undine too, making her health plummet as well.

Not giving them a chance to recover, Heathcliff continued his charge. Rin noticed the direction he was running and gasped. "He's going after Sayaka!"

Sayaka's eyes widened as Heathcliff closed the distance between them. She knew she wasn't fast enough to run away from him. The Undine screamed in fear as she closed her eyes.

"Not happening!" a sudden shout was heard as Naoki suddenly appeared and blocked Heathcliff's advance. His large sword clashed against Heathcliff's shield in a test of power.

"Naoki?!" Sayaka gasped.

"Heh, who else do you expect to be the knight in shining armor around here?" Naoki said with a grin.

"The son of the Unrelenting Psychopath, eh?" Heathcliff smirked. "You're father was an impressive tank back in the day. Though he was a bit on the crazy side."

"Yeah, well I've got him and my mom as parents so I guess I'm even crazier." Naoki countered. He called back to the Undine behind him. "Sayaka, get away from here! Hurry!"

"B-But-"

"Just move!"

Sayaka hesitantly nodded her head and ran away from the current skirmish. Heathcliff's attention now rested solely on Naoki. "You don't truly think you'll be able to win a test of strength against me, do you?"

"I don't need to win." Naoki smirked. "I just need to keep you held down." He managed to break the stalemate but to Heathcliff's surprise, the Salamander let go of his weapon and lunged at him, grabbing his shield tightly. "Rin!"

Heathcliff hadn't noticed the female Salamander closing in, and it was too late for him to do anything. Naoki let go just as Rin swung her fist with all the power she could muster. Her hit sent Heathcliff flying back, skidding across the floor.

"I don't know how much that did, but damn did it feel good to punch that jerk." Rin smirked. She called out to her sister. "Your turn, Lilly!"

As Heathcliff got back to his feet, he heard a snapping sound behind him. He turned around only to be hit by a barrage of Lilly's fireballs as she unloaded every last ounce of her ammo at him. As the smoke cleared, they all saw Heathcliff's health bar fall into the yellow.

"We're not done yet!" The sudden shout came from Kagero as she and Apollo charged in. Heathcliff managed to block Apollo with his shield and Kagero with his sword. But Miku coming in from behind was something he couldn't deal with. The slash from her sword sent his HP falling down even further.

"Heh, perhaps there is some of your parent's strength in you after all." Heathcliff grinned, happy to finally being challenged a bit. He managed to get away from Apollo and Kagero, recovering his composure as he took his stance again.

"Stand back everyone." Yui said, stepping forward. "I'll finish this." Everyone saw the determination in the female Spriggan's eyes. They each nodded, letting Yui be the one the settle things. "Let's end this Kayaba."

A grin came to Heathcliff's face. "Yes. It only seems right for this fight to end with the one who inherited the fighting spirit of Kirito."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Yui said, charging in with a tight grip on both her swords.

Heathcliff met Yui head on, the two of them clashing fiercely. Yui roared as she swung her swords around, trying to break through Heathcliff's defenses. He knocked her attack away and tried to get in a thrust with his sword. Yui saw the attack coming however and managed to block with her two swords, Heathcliff's blade skidding across them. She slashed with a circular AoE slash, forcing Heathcliff to jump back. Yui chased after him, continuing to put on the pressure.

"I can't be defeated that easily." Heathcliff said as he suddenly moved forward, shocking Yui as he swung his blade up and parried Yui's attack. He slammed his shield into her, knocking her into the ground and making her tumble along the floor. She saw Heathcliff come at her with a slash and rolled out of the way at the last second, getting back to her feet.

Slash after slash, block after block, the fight continued. Neither side seemed to have a clear advantage over the other. Seeing Yui facing him, Heathcliff saw the very image of Kirito himself in her. This was the only way for him to get the closure in that fight they had oh so many years ago.

Yui leaped over Heathcliff, attempting to get him from behind. Heathcliff turned to block just in time, countering with a slash that nicked Yui's shoulder. Both of their health bars were nearing their limit.

Finally, Heathcliff saw his opening. He swung his shield to the side, slamming it into Yui's face. The girl fell over with a cry of pain from the bulky object hitting her. Heathcliff raised his sword for the final blow, the blade glowing with a red light.

"Game over." Heathcliff said confidently. "It seems Kirito didn't teach you well enough."

As his sword came down, Heathcliff's mind went to his final battle against Kirito. That time, Asuna had leaped in to save the Black Swordsman from dying. But this time, there was no one to save Yui.

So it was a good thing she didn't need saving.

Quickly bringing her swords up in a cross fashion, Yui blocked Heathcliff's slash, absorbing the force as it clashed against her swords. Yui could feel both her mother and father at her side, giving her the strength she needed.

"Shut your mouth, Kayaba!" Yui said. With a loud war cry, she pushed his sword back with her own, knocking the creator of SAO off balance. Heathcliff gasped in shock, unable to believe she had managed to stop him.

"I am not my father!" Yui said as she slashed at him with the sword in her right hand. "I am not some cheap substitute for you to settle your score with him!" The next slash came from the sword in her left hand. She went in and unleashed the Starburst Stream attack she had memorized, shaving away more and more of Heathcliff's HP with each slash. After fifteen consecutive hits, she went in for the last and final one to put the nail in the coffin.

"I am Yui Kirigaya! And don't you forget it!"

As Yui ran her sword through Heathcliff, a satisfied smile came to the man's face. ' _It seems I underestimated the strength of this new generation. Perhaps it's time I hang up my sword once and for all, just like you did Kirito.'_

Heathcliff's avatar shattered away, splitting into several tiny fragments. Yui felt all the exhaustion come to her at once as both her arms slumped down.

"Yui!" The Spriggan girl turned to see all her friends running over to her with smiles on all of their faces. They had all finally managed to be free of the mess Kayaba had thrown them all into.

Yui breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally over. ' _Thanks dad. Thanks mom. It's because of you that I was able to win.'_

"Congratulations." the sudden voice cause everyone to fall silent as they looked towards the throne where Kayaba was hovering. Not Heathcliff, but Akihiko Kayaba himself.

"What do you want? You gonna whine about how Yui beat you?" Rin glared.

Kayaba shook his head. "No, I lost fair and square. It wouldn't be very sportsmanlike of me to complain after that." He looked directly at Yui. "You truly are his daughter. You rejected my ideals, just like him. But there's something else in there too. A new light. One that I'm quite interested to see how it will grow."

"You lost Kayaba. Now let us go." Yui told him.

"Of course." Kayaba nodded. "But first I have something for you."

"What would that be?"

"Consider it a reward for beating me." Kayaba shuffled through a window and sent something to Yui. Suddenly, a window popped up in front of the girl.

 _New Skill obtained. Dual Skill._

"Dual Skill?" Yui questioned. "What is this?"

"A skill of my own design. I managed to implement it into ALO's skill list." Kayaba explained. "It's a variation of the Dual Wielding skill your father once had. Instead of access to the Dual Wielding sword skills though, this will allow you to use two one handed sword skills simultaneously."

"Two skills simultaneously?"

"You'll understand how it works once you use it. I'm sure you'll be able to master it someday." Kayaba said with a smile. "Well then… farewell."

Before anyone could say another word, they were all blinded by a white light. When they could see again, they all found themselves outside of the main dungeon on Floor 99 in the center of the town.

"I-Is it finally over?" Sayaka asked.

Yui opened her menu, pressing the logout tab. Sure enough, it was functioning properly again. "It's over."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. After a long and strenuous event set up by none other than the creator of SAO himself, they were finally free again. And all of them were exhausted.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat." Naoki said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm gonna log off and sleep for the rest of the day."

"Me too." Miku agreed. "See you guys later."

One by one, the group gradually began to split up and head their separate ways. They each went to an inn and logged off for the day.

* * *

As Lilly's consciousness returned to her real body, she slowly blinked open her eyes. She grabbed her Amu Sphere and removed it from her head. The series of difficult battles today had left her exhausted. While her physical body didn't feel the same exhaustion, she was still mentally exhausted.

When she walked out of her room, she saw her sister Rin come out of hers as well. As they were about to walk downstairs, they heard the sound of footsteps rushing upstairs.

"Rin! Lilly!" Alicia exclaimed. She stopped in her tracks when she saw both of her daughters out in the hallway. "Oh thank goodness."

"What's wrong mom?" Rin asked.

"They just started talking about it on the news. Someone hacked the ALO servers and put a fake event up, trapping some of the players inside." Alicia said. "I was afraid you two were caught up in it as well."

Rin and Lilly glanced at each other. No one had been hurt, and they didn't want to worry their mother needlessly. It would be best to stay quiet on the details of what had happened.

"O-Oh I heard about that. They sent out a notification to everyone." Lilly explained. "We weren't near where the event was so we didn't end up stuck in it. But before we logged off, the GMs sent another message out saying the issue was resolved."

Rin nodded her head, following along with the act. "Yeah, we're both fine."

Alicia let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad. I don't know what I'd do if you two became trapped in there."

Rin and Lilly both knew their mother had every right to worry. She had been a part of the SAO incident after all. It was only natural that she of all people would never want her children to experience the same thing. If anything, one could say it was strange she let them play VR games at all.

"So how did Luna do today?" Lilly asked.

"I did super good." Luna said as she came upstairs too. "Mama says I'm improving really well."

"I think she'll be fine for school." Alicia said. She patted her youngest daughter's head. "You just make sure to study hard and make lots of friends."

Luna giggled. "You got it Mama."

Soon the sound of the front door opening was heard. Dan called out to his family. "I'm home."

"Papa!" Luna said happily as she ran downstairs to greet her father. The rest of the family soon followed to greet Dan by the front door.

Alicia gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "Welcome home dear. How was your day?"

"It was fine. How about you?"

"I worked on my novel and helped Luna a bit with her reading and writing skills." Alicia explained.

"I see. You're working really hard, aren't you Luna." Dan said as he placed a hand on Luna's head. He looked over to Rin and Lilly. "What about you two?"

Rin shrugged. "Nothing special. We just went on ALO for a bit."

"I heard something big happened in Alfheim. Is everything alright?" Dan asked.

"According to them, the issue got resolved so everything should be fine now." Alicia told him. She walked into the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready in thirty minutes. Everyone be sure to wash up before then."

The family all nodded. Rin went to the living room to watch tv, followed by Luna. As Dan was about to go into the kitchen, Lilly called out to him.

"Dad…" Lilly said. "Can… Can we talk?"

Dan turned to Lilly and saw that something seemed to be on the girl's mind. He nodded his head. "Of course. Is something wrong?"

Lilly brought her father up to her room. The two of them sat together on her bed, as Lilly tried to figure out what to say. Everything today had been a bit much for her to take in. But she didn't want to say something that would make her father realize what had happened and pry in further.

Finally, Lilly found the words to start their conversation. "You were a tactician in SAO, right?"

Her father nodded his head. "That's right. I don't like to brag, but I was considered the top tactician in the game."

"Did you have any moments where you felt like… like you didn't know what to do? Where too much is happening at once, or you can't figure out a solution?"

Dan fell silent at the question. "What makes you ask this all of a sudden?"

"Well, I was in a boss fight with everyone in ALO." Lilly explained, half-lying. "It was a raid boss so there were a lot of us. I came up with a strategy to try and beat it but as the fight went on, more and more players ended up dying. I was beginning to feel like I failed everyone and I didn't know what to do. I sort of… I began to lose faith in myself. Like they were all dying because of me." She looked up at her father. "So I was wondering if something like that ever happened to you, and what you did to deal with it."

To Lilly's surprise, her father grimaced at the question. He let out a sigh before finally answering. "Yeah. Something like that did happen to me." He paused for a moment before explaining to his daughter. "It was Floor 67. We had been winning the past few floor boss raids relatively easy. I don't like to admit it, but I got a bit cocky." He let out a sigh. "We walked straight into a nightmare. At first it seemed like we'd be able to win without any problems. Then the boss changed completely out of nowhere. I couldn't come up with anything and I panicked. Because of that… multiple players ended up dying right in front of me. For the longest time, I could never forgive myself for that."

Lilly was surprised to hear about this. Her parents had never shared this story with her, though after hearing it she could understand why. "What did you do to get over it?"

A small crack of a smile came to Dan's lips. "Well a bit of it was time. But what really ended up saving me was your mother."

"Mom?"

"Yeah. She comforted me and reminded me that I wouldn't always be able to come up with the perfect strategy. That's just part of being human." He let out a small chuckle. "I must have been a serious mess back then after that loss. But your mother told me that even if I couldn't come up with the perfect strategy, that I could count on her and my friends to give me the time I needed to come up with the best plan. They trusted me and I trusted them."

Dan put an arm around his daughter and hugged her side. "I don't know the specifics of whatever happened with that boss fight you mentioned, and I won't ask you to tell me them. But just keep in mind that you won't always be able to figure the "perfect way" out of everything. When those times come, you just need to have faith in the people that have the same faith in you."

Lilly thought about her father's words. It was a lot like what Sayaka had said to her back when they were fighting the three quarter bosses of SAO all at once. That it was because of her that they had a plan to go with at all and weren't completely wiped out.

"Thanks dad." Lilly said with a small smile. "I think I'm better now."

"Good to hear." Dan said as he got up from the bed. "Don't ever lose your confidence Lilly. That's one of the most important traits for a strategist to have. And I know that whenever things get tough, you'll know what to do."

Lilly nodded her head. "I will dad. Thanks."

* * *

A few days had passed since the incident in Alfheim Online. Leo Industries had taken some heavy fire over what had happened. Luckily, since no one had gotten hurt and the company showed that they were putting player safety first when dealing with the problem, there had been no major lawsuits to the company and everything had managed to more or less return to normal.

Though Yui's new badass skill was definitely a nice improvement to her fighting prowess.

"Here I come!" Yui yelled out as she prepared to attack.

Strea stood firm, ready to block the incoming attack. "Bring it, sis."

Throughout the past couple of days, Yui had been training to learn more about the special skill Kayaba had given her, Dual Skill. From what she was able to grasp by using it, it would activate upon taking a stance that mirrored that of two different sword skills. The resulting sword skill would depend on which two skills she used together. With some initial poses being vastly different than one another, her options were slightly limited. But she had still managed some fierce new attacks with Dual Skill. The one she favorited the most used the skills, Horizontal Square and Vertical Square, turning into a deadly, high speed attack.

"Diamond Storm!" With her shout, Yui rushed forward with one blade a glowing orange color and the other a shiny violet. Eight slashes followed, each one almost instantly after the last. Strea had only been able to block the first two before getting hit by the rest. The trails of light left from each slash formed together into the perimeter of a diamond shape before quickly fading.

"Woo boy, you sure are something with that new skill of yours, Yui." Strea said with a grin.

"It actually looks quite similar to the Dual Wielding ability dad had." Yui said as she looked at her two swords. "In a sense, you could say the only real difference is the sword skills that are used."

"You told dad about it yet? I bet he'd be psyched." Strea told her.

Yui shook her head. "No, I'm still trying to come up with a good lie about how I got it. I don't want to worry him or mom about Kayaba showing up again."

"Yeah, I guess that'd be for the best." Strea sighed. "Mom would probably flip."

Yui looked at the time. "We should probably log out now. Dad's gonna be home soon."

Strea nodded her head in agreement and the two sisters logged out of the world of Alfheim. When they returned to the real world and removed their Amu Sphere's they heard the voices of both of their parents downstairs, telling them that their father was home.

Walking downstairs into the kitchen, Yui and Strea were greeted by both of their parents. Kazuto waved at his two daughters. "Hey you two. Did you have a good day."

"We were just diving for a bit, nothing much." Strea said.

"And did you finish all your homework?" Asuna asked.

A nervous sweat went down her back. "Well… um… maybe?"

Asuna narrowed her eyes at her younger daughter. "Strea…"

"Fine." the girl groaned. "Come on Yui, let's go finish."

"What do you mean? I finished mine when I got home from school." Yui said.

Strea's pout only became more apparent. "Traitor."

The family shared a small chuckle as Strea went upstairs. With her sister gone, Yui glanced towards both her parents. "Mom… Dad… can I talk to you?"

"Of course, Yui." Asuna said. "Is there something you need?"

Yui took a seat at the kitchen table, seeming deep in thought. "I was just wondering… what do you both think of Kayaba?"

The question caught both Kazuto and Asuna off guard. The chestnut haired mother looked at her daughter. "Yui… what makes you ask that?"

"Well... it's just Kayaba's still around in a sense." Yui said. "And I know he did a lot of bad things. But a lot of good things happened because of those too." She didn't like to admit it, but a lot of what Kayaba had said to her had etched into her mind. "He's the one who gave me life. He allowed you two to meet. It's just… I don't know whether I should hate him, or be grateful to him. It's something that's been on my mind the past few days."

Kazuto thought to himself about Yui's question. "That's tough to answer, Yui. Kayaba was a complicated person. I don't know if I could truly say he was wholeheartedly good or evil. He was just someone that did whatever he wanted, which sometimes ended up badly for others."

"Even though he was really the creator of SAO, he also gave a lot of people strength." Asuna said, taking a seat at the table as well. "He formed the Knights of the Blood Oath, and even became an inspiration to people wanting to become better. I know I learned a lot from him myself."

"Then what is it you feel towards him?" Yui asked. "Do you hate him? Admire him?"

"I don't think it's that simple Yui." Kazuto said with a shake of his head. "SAO taught me a lot, and changed my life. It changed the lives of plenty of other people too. But even still, I won't forgive Kayaba for what he did. Four thousand people died because of him, and that's something that can't be taken away."

"You shouldn't think of it so black and white." Asuna explained. "There's good and bad parts to everyone, Kayaba's no exception. What's important is to see what you can learn from the people you meet throughout your life."

' _What I can learn from them…'_ Yui thought.

"I'm sure you'll find the answer on how you should feel towards Kayaba on your own soon enough." Asuna told her daughter.

Yui nodded her head. "Thanks mom. Thanks dad. I'll try and think about what you said." The black haired girl got up from her seat and walked out of the room. "And dad?"

"Yes, Yui?"

"I learned a lot from you and mom too. Things I'll never ever forget." she said. She turned her head and grinned at her parents. "And I'm gonna become stronger and make sure I surpass both of you. I'll become someone you can be proud of."

Kazuto and Asuna smiled at their daughter. "We know you will. You and Strea both." Asuna said.

"Don't think I'll let you think you're better than me too early though kiddo." Kazuto smirked.

"You got it dad." Yui smiled as she walked upstairs, feeling surprisingly pleased with herself.

There was a lot she couldn't forgive Kayaba for, like her parents. But at the same time, there were a lot of things in her life she owed to him. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel just yet. But there was one thing she did know.

' _I'm gonna get stronger. And I'll master this new skill in ways you could never even imagine, Kayaba. That's a promise.'_

 **A/N: So what did you all think of the battle against Kayaba? Hope you all enjoyed this mini arc. Happy Holidays everybody.**


	48. Staring From Afar

**A/N: Hey readers. Here's the first Blazing Generations chapter of the new year. Hope you all enjoy it. Also, for those of you that haven't been reading Lost Stories, I recently got a commission done of Luna. It's currently the cover image for Lost Stories, but it's also on my deviantart page. Feel free to tell me your thoughts via PM, review, or even commenting on the image itself at deviantart. If you can't find it, let me know via PM and I'll be happy to give you a link.**

Yuzuki had never really been the "popular type" growing up. She wasn't good at making friends, never knowing what to say to get people to like her.

But if there was one thing she liked, it was games. Unfortunately, she even flunked at that when it came to gossip. She would always end up picking up games too late, after kids would be done playing it and moved onto another game already. She didn't mind too much though. She had a loving family, and even though she didn't play as early as most, she loved playing the games she got. Especially ones in VR. Yuzuki simply figured she'd just wait and let time take its course before finding a friend naturally.

Then came the middle school camping trip.

It was a yearly thing for her school. For one week during late spring, they'd go out into the woods where there were cabins set up and do various activities, such as fishing and whatnot. Each cabin had two bedrooms with three beds each, one room for boys and one for girls. There was one rule that students could only be in the same cabin as others from their class. As with most activities like this, she was in the group of students that didn't already have a group, two other girls that seemed to be friends but didn't have a third to complete the trio.

Finally the morning came where it was her turn to make breakfast. She wasn't much of a cook, but she recalled how her mother had made miso soup for her often for breakfast. Perhaps the other kids in her cabin would like it too. It could be a conversation starter and perhaps a way for her to make a friend or two.

For the most part, it had gone well. Four out of the five students in the cabin with her had liked the soup, saying it was tasty. It was with the fifth student that things had gone differently than she had been expecting. A boy with messy red hair.

"Soup's nice and all, but I'm used to eating bread meals for breakfast." he said before looking at Yuzuki with a cheeky grin. "But then again, if I had a cute girl like you cooking for me every day, I wouldn't ever complain."

The other two girls rolled their eyes while one of the other boys hit the red haired kid in the shoulder. "Do you have to, Naoki? I don't want to get in trouble if the girls complain to the teacher about you being creepy."

As Naoki argued with the other boy, Yuzuki quickly turned around to hide her blush. Naoki hadn't noticed the red on her cheeks before she turned around, but the girls at the table did as grins came to both of their faces. It was time for a gossip session.

When night came, Yuzuki crawled into bed and prepared to go to sleep, but was awoken as her two roommates came to her bedside.

"Wanna have some girl talk, Yuzuki?" one of the girls asked.

"G-Girl talk?" Yuzuki asked with a stutter, surprised since she had never really had a "girl talk" before. But she couldn't back down from this. This might be her best chance at making some friends. She nodded her head. "Sure."

The three girls sat together on top of Yuzuki's bed. With her inexperience with midnight girl gossip, Yuzuki was understandably nervous. "So… what should we talk about?"

"How about the way you blushed at Naoki Gekido's comment?" one of them said.

Yuzuki's cheeks went red as a tomato at the sudden comment. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it." the other girl said. "We saw you. You like him, don't you?"

"Well I… uh…" Yuzuki couldn't put up any act in front of the two girls. "Well I'm just not used to boys calling me 'cute'. Naoki's the first boy to say that to me."

"And?"

"And… I guess I like him…"

"Awwwww!" the two girls squealed together. One of them leaned towards Yuzuki. "Ok we are getting you two together."

"What?!" Yuzuki exclaimed, quickly covering up her mouth, afraid of waking up the others. "Really?" she asked in a whisper.

In response, the two girls gave Yuzuki a thumbs up. For the first time in her life Yuzuki was beginning to feel like she belonged. That she finally had her first real friends. It was a surprise that it had taken her falling for a boy to get it to happen though.

The rest of the week, Yuzuki and her newfound friends had worked on getting Naoki to talk more to Yuzuki. Unfortunately, each encounter ended in failure. There was the two of them fishing together, where she was about to speak up before a big fish snagged on her pole and had ended up being strong enough to yank her into the lake. She wasn't the only one getting wet in the failed attempts though. There was the time they were roasting marshmallows together, and Yuzuki had turned to him too fast, resulting in her piping hot marshmallow flying off its stick and onto Naoki's foot which ended in him running into the lake. She was sure the hiking excursion would work, but the moment had been ruined when Naoki had been distracted by some baby deer only for him and Yuzuki to get chased off by their overprotective mother.

In the end, Yuzuki had failed in getting more time to talk with the boy that had called her cute. But it hadn't all been bad. Her exchanges with Naoki had gotten girls to talk with her out of curiosity. Finally, Yuzuki had others she could call friends. It had been weird at first, but Yuzuki got used to the attention pretty quickly and fit in with the other girls.

But although she had friends, Yuzuki still couldn't get her mind off of Naoki. She tried to get some time with him, but the red haired boy always seemed to be trying to flirt with some other girl.

' _I just wish he would talk that way to me, and only me.'_ Yuzuki thought to herself.

By the end of the school year, Yuzuki had failed to get Naoki to notice her at all. When their first year of high school had come, Yuzuki was no longer in the same class as Naoki so it had been harder to find him in the school. But she would still catch glimpses of him in the hall. His dreamy face and messy red hair. She could never figure out how to approach him though. She wondered if he even remembered her and their time during the camping trip.

Left with no other options, Yuzuki had decided to go to her mother for advice. She had always been able to confide in her in the past.

"In love with a boy from school, huh?" her mother said. "Ah, that brings me back to my younger days too. Oh sweet memories."

"What should I do mom?" Yuzuki asked. "How did you and dad fall in love?"

A reminiscent smile could be seen on her mother's face. "Well I do love your father very much Yuzuki, that much will always be true. But my first crush came back in high school. There was a boy I was head over heels for, but I didn't confess my feelings soon enough. By the time I did, I found out he was already dating another girl. That is my biggest regret." Her mother looked her daughter in the eyes. "Listen closely dear. If you want something that you can have, don't hesitate. You have to go and grab it by the neck before someone else can grab it. If you love this boy that much then you have to pursue your love."

Her mother had never led her astray in the past, and Yuzuki doubted she would this time. She went into a detailed search, trying to find out everything she could about Naoki, including his likes and dislikes. She had heard he was a fan of VR games, which was good since it would give them something in common. But she didn't know which games he played. She continued her research until she had one day overheard him mention a game he frequented to a friend in the halls. Alfheim Online

Yuzuki had nearly jumped for joy when she had heard this. She herself was a big fan of ALO, playing the game quite often. But there was still the question of his handle, and she had little hope that she'd be lucky enough to hear him blurt that out in the halls. So she took her search to the virtual world of fairies.

Finding one player out of the thousands on the Japanese server of ALO was like finding a needle in a haystack though. Failure after failure stacked up in front of Yuzuki to the point where she was on the verge of giving up.

That was when it happened.

"Seriously Naoki, you've gotta stop flirting with every girl you see."

Yuzuki turned her head and saw two players walking together through the streets of Arun. One was a male Sylph with blonde hair. The other was a Salamander that Yuzuki almost mistook as having the same hair as Naoki's until she realized that almost all Salamander's had red hair.

"Come on Tetsuya, I was THIS close!" the Salamander said.

"What you were close to was getting a slap to the face." Tetsuya told him.

' _Could it really be…'_ Yuzuki asked herself. Why hadn't she thought of it? The first thing she should have done with her search was look for players named Naoki. And his mannerisms seemed so similar. She couldn't just let him get away with such a rare chance in front of her. She kept her distance as she followed the two players.

Eventually the player named Naoki split up from his friend, saying that he was going to do some hunting. Yuzuki followed after him, taking to the sky. After a bit of flying, she finally saw him land in a field.

It was now or never. Yuzuki gulped before she landed and walked up to the Salamander teen. Her mother had told if she really wanted something and she could have it, to grab it by the neck.

She may have taken the advice a bit too literally though.

* * *

Strea let out a yell as she slashed her sword through a monster, causing it to shatter away. The female Gnome wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Man, soloing in the fields sure is exhausting. Makes me wonder how dad was able to do it so often in SAO." she said.

Sadly, Yui was too busy to go online today. But even without her sister that didn't mean Strea couldn't have some fun and go hunting herself.

"AHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

The sudden shout caused Strea to turn her head towards where she had heard the voice. She quickly ran up the nearby hill and looked down at the scene going on below. The scene being Naoki getting attacked by a female Undine.

"Yeesh, another bad rejection. He must have found one with a real temper." Strea muttered to herself, assuming the Undine was another girl Naoki had hit on.

Little did Strea know that the exact opposite was what was really happening.

When he came out to hunt in the fields, a sucker kick to the head was not what Naoki had been expecting. At first he had thought it was Rin pissed at him for some reason again. But when he looked up and saw that it was instead an ivory haired Undine with a longsword at her waist, he knew it was something much worse.

"Come on Naoki. Show me that manly strength of yours." the Undine said as she held him down.

"For the millionth time, I don't even know who you are!"

"My apologies. My name is…" Yuzuki quickly stopped herself from blurting out her real name, knowing revealing something like that so soon would ruin everything. She corrected herself by saying her in-game name. "You can call me Yukina."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Yukina, now GET OFF ME!"

Their encounter only got weirder for the Salamander as he suddenly felt Yukina stroke his hair. "Your hair's so soft."

"Thank you. I use a special conditioner- LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"You see, your real problem here is you leave too many openings with your stance."

"How is kicking my ass suddenly turning into a lecture for fighting?!" Naoki asked. "What the hell do you want from me anyway?!"

"Oh Naoki…" Yukina said in a romantic tone. "I'm just proving to you I'm worthy of you."

At this, Naoki suddenly froze. ' _You've got to be kidding me.'_ he thought to himself. ' _Every freaking time! Why is it always the crazy ones that end up wanting me?!'_

As Naoki struggled to get the girl off him, his eyes caught sight of someone standing on top of a nearby hill. He quickly made out the figure as Strea, who was actually sitting down and eating a snack, while using a recording crystal to tape all of this.

"Strea! What do you think you're doing?! Help me!" Naoki pleaded.

Yukina turned her head to see who Naoki was talking to. Her expression turned into a glare at the onlooker. "Excuse me! My future boyfriend and I are trying to have a romantic moment! I'd appreciate if you gave us some privacy!"

"Don't give us privacy! For the love of god, please do not give us privacy!" Naoki begged. "Strea, help!"

To the Salamander's dismay however, Strea got up and grabbed the recording crystal, waving goodbye to the duo. "See you later loverboy! Looks like you found a real keeper!"

"Strea, don't you dare-" His plea fell on deaf ears as Strea brought out her wings and took to the sky.

With the onlooker gone, Yukina went back to stroking Naoki's hair. "Now where were we, my love?"

Naoki's screams gradually got quieter as Strea fled from the scene. ' _Sorry Naoki. But I'm not getting into it with someone crazy like her.'_

* * *

 _-The next day-_

"I can't believe you just left me with her!" Naoki yelled at Strea. "It took me over an hour to get away from that psycho!"

Naoki yelled this at Strea as he and his friends were gathered together at Yui and Strea's house in the town of Coral in New Aincrad. There, Strea decided to show everyone Naoki's encounter with the mystery Undine named Yukina. Rin couldn't help but chuckle a bit at how easily Naoki was getting his butt handed to him.

"Look not that I approve of Strea recording your misery for her own amusement, but maybe it was a good thing she recorded this." Yui pointed out. "Perhaps you can show this to the GMs and they can penalize that Yukina player."

"I doubt it." Naoki groaned. "As long as it isn't sexual harassment, the GMs tend to stay away from problems between players. Perhaps they'd pay more attention to it if I was a girl. Freaking sexism."

"Well girls are the target most of the time for this kind of stuff." Rin argued. "Besides, it'd be kind of hypocritical for you to complain after all the girls you've freaked out by flirting with them."

Naoki grumbled something under his breath but couldn't argue against Rin's point. Lilly sighed and shook her head. "Well has anything else happened since then? Did that girl find you today at all in ALO?"

"No, but I found the freakiest thing in my locker at school." Naoki told them. "A love letter. From Yukina."

The eyes of his friends widened as they heard this. "Hang on! Yukina goes to your school?!" Tetsuya exclaimed.

"And she knows my identity IRL. This is the worst." Naoki groaned. "I can't even go to the school with this cause I have no idea who Yukina even is IRL."

"Man, this girl really is head over heels for you." Rin said.

"Bet we could get your multitude of cousins to do something." Strea joked.

"Are you crazy? I am not dealing with whatever aftermath is going to result if I get my cousins involved." Naoki told her. "I swear everyone on my mom's side of the family is almost as crazy as this Yukina girl."

"U-Um…" Sayaka's voice caused her friends to all glance in her direction. "M-Maybe you could pretend you have a girlfriend already Naoki. Like you did with that person that was stalking me once."

"Hmmm… That's not a bad idea." Naoki said as he contemplated it. "But who would I get to pretend to be my girlfriend?" He glanced towards Rin, who feverishly shook her head.

"Not in a million years." she told him.

"Lilly?"

"Absolutely not."

"Yui?"

"No way. I'm not risking people seeing us like that and spreading rumors." the Spriggan girl said.

"Ugh…" Naoki moaned as he sank in the chair he was sitting on.

"N-Naoki…" Sayaka said. "P-Perhaps… I c-could be your pretend g-g-g-g-girlfriend."

Rin's eyes widened while Yui's narrowed, wondering what the Undine girl was thinking offering herself like that. As everyone looked towards Naoki for an answer, the Salamander shook his head. "No thanks Sayaka. I don't want to trouble you with something like that."

"Yet he'll trouble just about anyone else." Rin muttered under her breath.

"B-But… But…"

"Look Sayaka, I appreciate that you want to help me but it probably wouldn't be very convincing." Naoki told her. "With all your stuttering, you'd fall apart if Yukina asked any questions."

"But I…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll manage somehow." Naoki assured her. "Now then, who else is there. Hey, maybe that idol friend of yours can help, Lilly. You said she plays ALO, right."

"Once, and I don't even think she owns an Amu Sphere." Lilly told him. "Besides, I'm not asking her to do something like that."

"Darn, another bust." Naoki sighed. "Well if nothing else works out I guess you might have to be my pretend girlfriend after all Saya-" He paused as he saw a tear fall from the Undine's face, catching the attention of everyone there. "Sayaka?"

"YOU'RE A STUPID JERK, NAOKI GEKIDO!" Sayaka shouted out. Before anyone could get a word in, she ran out of the house, crying in tears.

"Sayaka?!" Rin exclaimed, quickly running after her, followed by Tetsuya and Lilly. "Hey wait! Sayaka!"

Naoki blinked in surprise, trying to process what had just happened. "What was that about?"

"You really are dense, aren't you Naoki?" Yui sighed.

"What?"

"Forget it." Yui got up from her seat and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go look for Sayaka with the others."

As the Spriggan girl left the house along with her sister, Naoki was left alone as he tried to wonder what was going on with his Undine friend.

' _Geez, one Undine is acting like some crazy stalker and another one is just acting plain weird. What is it with me and them?'_

* * *

Sayaka sat against a tree in the woods of Floor 22. She curled up and cried into her arms, tears flowing out of her eyes like a waterfall.

"Sayaka!" a shout from Rin came. "Sayaka, where are you?!"

"Did you check your Friend's List?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, but all it says is that she's still in Coral. I can't tell her exact location with it."

Sayaka got up and ran further into the woods, desperate to get away so her friends wouldn't have to see her like this. The orange light of the afternoon sky blanketed the woods as she went deeper and deeper. Eventually the calls from her friends could no longer be heard. She got message after message from them with windows popping up, but Sayaka ignored each of them.

As she ran, the Undine girl tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. She didn't even have the strength to get back up. She cried as she laid on the ground.

' _Why?! Why does he only see me as a way out?!'_ Sayaka asked herself. ' _Why… Why can't he see how I feel about him?'_

 **A/N: Lots of drama, eh? Well next chapter will have plenty of it too. What does everyone think of Yuzuki so far?**

 **On another note, my winter break is sadly almost over so I'll be starting up college again. But I'll be sure to keep up my usual update schedule for this fic.**


	49. Unspoken Words

**A/N:Hey readers. Time is ticking away to the release of Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. I hope you guys are looking forward to it as much as I am.**

Sayaka woke up in her bedroom after logging out of ALO. She had cried in the woods near Coral for who knew how long. But even after all that, the tears came rushing back the second she removed the Amu Sphere from her head and sat up.

' _Why? Why does Naoki seem to notice every single girl except for me?!'_ Sayaka asked herself. She laid back down on her bed and curled up, hugging a large plushie on her bed as tears flowed down her face.

She remembered back when she was younger, when all her friends and her were younger. Even back then, Naoki loved to flirt. But even though he kept getting shot down, he never let himself feel down. He always got back up after every rejection and stayed positive. Some would see that as stupid and stubborn. Sayaka saw that as determined and positive.

Naoki was always so brave. He never hesitated on doing something, he just did it. She on the other hand had always been nervous and shy. Even back when she first started playing ALO she had picked the role of white mage out of her group because she was afraid of messing up in battle. And even still, she hadn't had full confidence in her abilities as a healer for some time at the start of her time in ALO.

Naoki was everything she wished she could be. And over time, that turned into her starting to have feelings for him.

' _And yet he never seems to notice me. Every time he flirts with me it's as a joke. Is that really all I am to him?'_

Sayaka didn't know how long she was crying in her room because eventually her mother came up to her room. She knocked on the door before opening it and peeking her head in. "Sayaka, dinner will be ready in-" The rest of the statement died on Rika's tongue when she saw her daughter crying on her bed. She quickly came in and sat on her daughter's bed. "Sayaka, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I… I…" Sayaka tried to wipe her eyes, but failed as wet tears could still be seen on her face. "I got my heart broken."

A frown came to Rika's face as she brought her daughter in for a hug while gently rubbing her back. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I know it's hard, believe me. Was this a boy at school?"

Sayaka shook her head. "Not exactly."

Her mother could only assume it was someone Sayaka had met in ALO then. A boy breaking her daughter's heart in the virtual world. She couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu from when she was trapped in Sword Art Online.

"He never even noticed me." Sayaka wept. "Mom… I feel so pathetic."

"Trust me Sayaka, I get it. I know exactly how you feel." Rika told her daughter, not letting her out of the comforting hug.

"You do?"

Rika nodded her head. "You know your Uncle Kazuto, Yui and Strea's dad? Believe it or not, I had a thing for him not long after we first met."

"You had a crush on Yui and Strea's dad?" Sayaka asked.

"Oh big time." Rika said with a nod. "I was head over heels for him."

"What happened?"

"Well I was about to confess my feelings for him, but right then and there I saw that your Aunt Asuna had feelings for him too. Feelings that probably dated long back before he and I even met. So I backed off, letting Asuna have him. But even after that, I couldn't stop having feelings for him." Rika let out a sigh as she nostalgically thought back on those old memories. "It took me a long time to get over him. Actually it was probably about the time your father first asked me out to prom that I finally did get over him."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just feel like this until some other guy comes around? I'm not sure I can do that mom." Sayaka told her.

"I know dear. It's never easy having your heart broken." Rika said soothingly. "So what was the reason? He already had a girlfriend?"

Sayaka shook her head. "No. It's just… he never notices me. I'm starting to think that he never will."

Rika realized then that this boy Sayaka was in love with hadn't flat out rejected her. She was just tired of him never realizing she loved her, another feeling that she could relate to. "Sayaka tell me, this boy. Do you still love him?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "I do, but…"

"No buts. You still love him and that's what's important." her mother said as she finally let Sayaka out of the hug. "Sayaka, if you still love him then you need to let him know how you feel. It may not be easy. You might fall flat on your face a hundred times before you succeed. But as long as you love him, you need to keep trying."

"I don't know if I can. I'm not strong enough mom."

"Yes you are." Rika said as she gently stroked her daughter's hair. "Sayaka, I've watched you grow up your entire life. Believe me when I say your strong. And being in love is only going to make you stronger. Just remember that your mom has your back, whenever you need it."

Sayaka continued to sob, but managed a small smile as she gave a slight nod of her head. "I'll try mom."

"That's my girl." Rika said encouragingly. She got up from the bed. "Dinner will be ready soon. I'll call you when it's time to come down."

As her mother walked out of her room and closed the door behind her, Sayaka continued to lay on her bed. Tears rolled down her face, but there was also hope in her heart. Hope that she could do this, and tell Naoki how she felt.

* * *

The school bell echoed throughout the building, signalling the end of the school day. Naoki walked out of class and stretched his arms out while letting out a yawn.

' _Man, that was so boring. What do I care about interpreting how the writer feels?'_ Naoki thought silently as he walked through the halls towards the gate to go home.

As he walked, he contemplated what to do for the afternoon. ' _Maybe I'll see if everyone can hang in ALO.'_ he thought. Thinking about his friends, the red haired teen's mind drifted to Sayaka. ' _What the heck was up with her the other day anyway? Maybe I'll ask her if I see her in ALO.'_

"Hey Naoki~!"

Hearing his name called, Naoki turned and saw a long haired brunette girl with emerald eyes coming his way. The girl stopped right next to him and showed an bright smile. "It's been awhile Naoki."

"Hang on… Do I know you?" Naoki asked, feeling that he had seen the girl somewhere before. Suddenly the answer hit him as he snapped his fingers. "That's right! You were in my class back in middle school! Yuzuki, right?"

"That's right. I'm so happy to hear to remember me." Yuzuki nodded happily. "So how have you been."

Naoki sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Not that great. I've been dealing with some creepy girl stalking me."

"C-Creepy?" Yuzuki almost lost her smile, knowing he was most likely talking about her.

"Yeah. She came up to me in ALO and started attacking me, acting like it was some way to get me to fall in love with her. And what's even worse is that she seems to know me IRL too, since she stuck a love letter in my locker."

"Well… maybe this girl just doesn't know how to properly explain her feelings towards you?" Yuzuki suggested. "Maybe you should give her a chance."

"I'd rather not deal with the crazy-type." Naoki explained.

Yuzuki hid her frown. ' _Darn, and I was going to tell him it was me so hopefully he'd see how I felt about him. But I can't now. He'll just try to run away from me. This requires a new plan of attack.'_

"I still say you should try and give her a chance to explain herself, Naoki." Yuzuki told him. "Anyway… I just remembered I had plans, so I'll see you later." she quickly ran off down the hall. "Bye Naoki! It was nice catching up with you!"

Naoki watched as Yuzuki quickly ran away. He scratched his head. ' _She's still the same weirdo she was back in middle school. Oh well, as least she's not a nutcase like Yukina. God I hope I don't run into her today.'_

With nothing left for him today at school, Naoki started his walk home. He was lucky that his house wasn't too far away from school, roughly a fifteen minute walk.

As he walked in the door, Naoki saw his mother was already home. "Hey mom, you're home early."

"Just got home about five minutes ago." Lilina explained. "How was school?"

"Fine. I'm gonna go play ALO for a bit. See you later."

"Just be sure to log off before dinner!" Lilina called out to her son as he ran up to his room.

Naoki just barely heard his mother as he got upstairs. He went into his room and put his Amu Sphere on his head, diving into the virtual world. "Link Start!"

The red haired teen left the real world and awoke in the virtual world in the form of his Salamander avatar. Walking out of the inn he had logged out from, he contemplated what to do. He had a couple hours to kill so maybe he'd see if any of his friends were online.

"I found you."

The sound of the voice sent a chill down Naoki's spine. He slowly turned his head towards the player that had just spoken to him, praying he was wrong or that this was all a horrible nightmare. But he was right and this was no nightmare. Standing before him was the last player he wanted to see.

Yukina

* * *

Sayaka walked into her house, done with school for the day. She didn't need to help out her mother at the store, leaving her afternoon free.

She thought about going on ALO for a bit, but as she did her mind drifted to Naoki. What if she saw him online? She still wasn't entirely sure what to do or how to confess how she felt towards him. And she'd have to if they met, since she had ran away crying the last time they saw each other.

' _Maybe I'll get lucky and just be able to meet up with some people without Naoki being there.'_ Sayaka thought.

As Sayaka sat down on her bed, she fit her Amu Sphere around her head. Closing her eyes, she laid down.

"Link Start!"

When Sayaka opened the eyes of her avatar, she awoke in the inn she had rented a room from. She swiped her menu to take a look at who was online at the moment, but before she went to her Friend's List, her eyes caught sight of a new message, one addressed to her and her friends.

As she opened the message, she frowned when she saw it was from Naoki. Then her eyes widened when she took a quick glance at the message itself.

 _Guys, anybody, you gotta help me! That crazy girl Yukina showed up again, and she's chasing me all over! I thought I lost her in Yggdrasil City, but now she's on my tail. Please, whoever reads this first help me ASAP. -Naoki_

Sayaka stared at the message. Yukina was harassing Naoki again. Based on what Naoki had told them all from their first encounter, she couldn't help but feel a sort of similarity with the girl. Both of them seemed to like Naoki, but didn't know how to properly express their feelings. But at the same time, they were also opposites in a sense. She was too shy about confessing her feelings, unable to say it to him. Yukina on the other hand seemed far too up front with her approach.

But how she compared with Yukina didn't matter. What mattered was Naoki was in trouble and he needed help. She recalled her mother's words.

" _You might fall flat on your face a hundred times before you succeed. But as long as you love him, you need to keep trying."_

Steeling her resolve, Sayaka got off of the bed and rushed out of the inn. She looked at Naoki's current location through her Friend's List and took off in that direction.

' _I don't care if I fall flat on my face a hundred times or even a million times. I'm going to show Naoki I care about him. Otherwise Yukina might convince him first and I'll regret it for the rest of my life.'_

* * *

"Naoki, please! Just let me explain!"

"Explain what?! That you're a psycho?! Trust me, I have that much figured out!"

Naoki had tried his best to flee from Yukina in the air. But Yukina seemed desperate to get him in her clutches, even going so far to the point of using an ice spell to freeze his legs. Now he was stuck on the ground with no way to run away from the Undine girl.

"Naoki I'm sorry you felt creeped out by me the other day. I see now that you took it the wrong way." Yukina told him, pleading for him to understand.

"You! Attacked! Me! How was I supposed to take it?!"

"I was trying to prove my worthiness to you! That I could make you happy!"

Naoki groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look I get that you like me, but attacking me was not how you should go about impressing a guy. And you acted even creepier by placing that love letter in my locker!"

"I just wanted to show you that I love you!" Yukina told him with tears in her eyes. "Naoki it's me! It's-"

"Get away from him!"

Naoki and Yukina both had widened eyes as a new arrival came speeding in. Yukina instinctively jumped back, shocked as she saw another female Undine swing a staff down at where she had just been standing.

"Sayaka?!" Naoki gasped.

Yukina glared at the new girl. "Who are you? I'm trying to have a conversation with my soon-to-be boyfriend."

"Naoki doesn't like you!" Sayaka told her sternly. "You can't force a person to like you and then attack them just because you don't get your way!"

Naoki blinked his eyes in surprise. He rarely saw the shy friend of his get this emotional. He had also doubted that she of all people would come to his rescue considering their last encounter.

"And what would you know?!" Yukina argued back. "There's no one that's more suited to be Naoki's girlfriend than me! I'm just trying to make him see that!"

"That's still no excuse! You can't-"

"Do you have any idea what it's like?! To look at someone and love them, but they hardly know you exist?! To be forced to stare at them from afar, wondering if they'll ever notice you?!"

Sayaka stared Yukina directly in the eye. "I know exactly what that's like. I get it, more than you may realize. Because…" She turned to Naoki and looked at him with a caring expression. Naoki realized what Sayaka was about to say only just before the words escaped her mouth.

"Because… I like you Naoki. I like you a lot."

The male Salamander was left slack jawed as he stared at Sayaka. To think both the Undines acting crazy towards him would also both have feelings for him. He had always wanted a girl to care about him like this, but the way this was happening was just too weird.

"Oh no you don't!" Yukina's voice caused both Sayaka and Naoki to turn their attention to her. "I did not work up the courage and work this hard just to be pushed aside by some silly little mage!" She pushed Sayaka away and got up close to Naoki. "Naoki, I've loved you for so long! Ever since you called me cute back at the school camping trip!"

"The school camping trip?" Naoki asked with a raised brow. "You mean back when I was in middle school?"

"Naoki it's me! Yuzuki!"

For the second time, Naoki found himself with his mouth wide open. "Yuzuki! YOU'RE Yukina?!"

The ivory haired Undine nodded her head. "Naoki… I love you! I promise I can make you happier than this girl!"

"I've known Naoki since we were little!" Sayaka argued.

Naoki blinked his eyes in surprise. "Uhh… girls?"

Both Sayaka and Yukina didn't pay attention to Naoki, too focused on each other. Yukina showed a sly smirk to Sayaka. "Haven't you seen this scenario played out in stories? Well I have, and let me tell you something." She leaned in towards Sayaka and spoke in a condescending tone. "The childhood friend never wins. Especially when the childhood friend is someone like you. You're even flatter than your personality."

Naoki had almost never seen Sayaka get mad as long as he had known her. But with the comment Yukina made, rage flashed in Sayaka's eyes as she lunged at Yukina. She attempted to draw her sword, but Sayaka tackled her before she could do so and the sword fell to the ground. Now Naoki was stuck with his leg frozen as the two Undine girls struggled against each other on the ground.

' _I was not ready for today.'_ Naoki silently thought.

Yukina managed to throw Sayaka off her with a kick to the gut. She then leaped at Sayaka and pinned her to the ground. Sayaka clawed at Yukina while the ivory haired Undine had a hand pushing Sayaka's face into the ground.

"Naoki isn't yours!" Sayaka yelled.

"Yes he is!" Yukina snarled back.

Sayaka managed to roll to the side, getting herself on top of the fellow Undine girl. She tried to keep Yukina pinned down but was quickly thrown off. Both girls got to their feet at the same time and rushed each other. Their hands locked with each other's and the two became deadlocked in a test of strength. Being a mage, Sayaka barely focussed on her STR stat. However, by some miracle, she was managing to just barely hold her own against Yukina.

"You fight pretty well for a mage." Yukina grunted.

Sayaka glared back at her. "You'd be surprised what I can do when I'm angry."

The two girls continued their grappling match, pushing each other back. Finally Yukina won out with her superior STR stat and shoved Sayaka away. She rushed in with a punch to the gut, but Sayaka responded in kind with a hook to the face. Both girls stumbled back a few steps as they glared at each other. With a loud cry, they both kicked off the ground and prepared to continue the fight. But before they could reach each other, Naoki appeared suddenly in between them, his feet finally thawed out from the ice.

"Alright, that's enough, both of you." Naoki said, blocking the two girls off from each other. "I'm ending this fight now."

Yukina crossed her arms. "Hmph, go ahead and tell her to leave then Naoki, so we can continue our alone time."

"That's another thing that's ending right now." Naoki said, glancing at Yukina. "Look Yukina… no, Yuzuki. I'm flattered you like me this much. Really. But I can't honestly say I feel the same way. All the obsessive stalking and love letters, it's… well, it's just creepy and kind of a turn off." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't love you Yuzuki."

"But… you said I was cute…"

"I've said a lot of girls were cute, and I mean A LOT. It's a part of me that I'm not honestly proud of as of late." Naoki explained. "I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

Tears welled up in Yukina's eyes as she tried to process this. "I'll make you love me Naoki! I promise! Just wait and see!" Crying out tears like a waterfall, Yukina brought out her wings and took off in the distance.

Naoki let out a sigh. "Geez, school's not gonna be fun whenever I run into her in the hallway."

"Um… Naoki…?" Sayaka spoke up.

Before Sayaka could say anything further, Naoki held his hand up in front of her to signal for her to stop. "Sayaka, me telling Yukina no doesn't mean I'm telling you yes. Right now… I need time to think. I'm not necessarily saying no. This is all a lot to take in at once, and I don't want to rush into anything. I hope you can understand."

A frown came to Sayaka's face, but she managed a nod. "I understand Naoki. I'm just glad I was able to work up the courage to tell you how I felt."

"I appreciate how tough that must have been for you." Naoki said. He turned to leave. "Well then… see you later."

Sayaka held back the urge to call out to Naoki again as he flew off. If she tried to force him on this, she'd be no different from what Yukina was trying to do. She let out a sigh. ' _Well at least I was able to confess my feelings to him. Now I just need to hope he feels the same way.'_

With the feeling of a giant weight off her chest, Sayaka spread her wings and took off into the air. Just like Naoki, she needed to clear her head for the moment.

 **A/N: So I know some of you were expecting Naoki and Sayaka to get together this chapter, so sorry to disappoint you guys. Next chapter however, I have something planned I think you'll all be excited for.**

 **On another note, Marcus Cersey, author of Arctic Swordsman, has recently started a Fairy Tail fic. Two of the OCs in it are Dan and Alicia from Wyvern's Inferno, so if you like Fairy Tail and/or like Marcus's work (seriously, the guy's an awesome writer) be sure to check it out and leave a review.**


	50. Luna's First Day of School

**A/N: Well readers, I've finally caught up enough where I don't have to update every other week. So I'm going to go back to a weekly update for this fic, at least for the arc starting this chapter. After that, I'll see how things are going, since I do have college work to do, plus Fatal Bullet is coming out in a month.**

 **But enough about that. Time for a brand new arc to start for this story.**

The cold winds of January blew through the air around the Hiryo home. A time where heat was extremely appreciated. But even though the coldness of winter made things uncomfortable outside, there was one reason for the family to be excited. Finally it was time for Luna to start her first day of school.

"Alright, there you go Luna." Alicia said as she took one last look over of her youngest daughter. She was dressed in a pink coat, and her short black hair was combed straight by her mother.

"I'm so excited Mama!" Luna said with a big grin on her face. "I finally get to go to school! It's going to be so much fun!"

Alicia smiled at her daughter. "I know you'll do great Luna. Just be yourself and you'll be sure to make lots of friends."

"Good luck Luna." Lilly said as she and Rin headed to the front door, ready to go to school themselves.

"We're rooting for you." Rin added.

Luna nodded her head and waved goodbye to her sisters as they walked out of the house. "Alright then. We should get going too." Alicia said. "You have your bag Luna?"

In response, Luna showed her schoolbag to her mother. "Right here Mama."

"Good. Let's hurry up before you're late." Alicia said. She walked with Luna outside and got into her car. Once she made sure Luna had her seat belt on, the mother began the drive to the elementary school Luna would be attending.

It was a few weeks ago that Alicia had received a letter from the school. It had said that they would be willing to have Luna start attending earlier than intended, though she would be starting off in the winter trimester a week and a half late. After consulting with Luna and Dan, they had decided to take the school up on its offer.

Throughout the ride to the school, Luna hummed happily to herself. Alicia recalled back when Rin and Lilly had both started school. With how shy Lilly tended to be, the thought of being in a room full of people put her on edge. Luckily, her teacher had been able to help her open up and she ended up loving school. Rin had no such problems, always tackling new experiences head on.

After a short drive, Alicia pulled up next to the school. "Alright Luna, this is it." she said. "Are you ready?"

"Mhm." Luna nodded.

"You know where to go?"

"Straight to class."

"And your classroom is?"

"2-B"

"Good." Alicia said as she patted her daughter on the head. Unable to hold back her emotions as a mother any longer, she leaned over and hugged her daughter. "Make sure to listen to your teacher and be really good. And try to make some friends."

"I will Mama."

"Ok." Alicia said as she let go of Luna. "Off you go."

Luna opened the car door and got out. She waved goodbye to her mother before running into the building. It was only when she was out of sight that Alicia allowed herself to shed a tear before driving away.

Luna walked through the halls of the school. There were kids all around her, talking to each other. A lot of them seemed to know each other while she didn't know a single one of them. Perhaps this was the "new kid feeling" that her family had told her about.

' _I wonder if any of them play VR games.'_ Luna thought. ' _Papa said the first step to making friends is to find something in common.'_

Taking a look at the map of the school provided to her, Luna navigated her way through the halls as she made her way to her assigned classroom. Compared to the complex layouts of dungeon maps in ALO, the map of the school seemed simplistic in the young girl's eyes.

After a few minutes, Luna finally saw the sign for her classroom. She walked up to it and was greeted by a woman with brown hair tied up in a neat ponytail.

"Hello." Luna greeted, walking up to the woman. "You're Ms. Yasanagi, right?"

The woman nodded her head while showing a warm smile. "Yes I am. You must be Luna, correct?"

"Mhm." Luna said.

"It's very nice to meet you." Ms. Yasanagi said. "I'll be your teacher for the rest of the trimester. I've already been informed about your… past." It was a first for the woman, having to teach an AI student. But Luna seemed human enough so perhaps it wouldn't be so hard after all. "Now Luna, I'm sure you family already told you this, but you can't go revealing the fact that you're an AI to the other students."

Luna nodded her head. "I understand."

"Good. Now then, I'll introduce you to the rest of the class once the bell rings."

As the time before class started ticked away, Luna saw more and more students enter the classroom. Each of them glanced at her before walking in, wondering who the new girl was. Once the bell finally rang, the teacher led Luna inside.

As she walked into the classroom, Luna noticed all eyes fall on her almost instantly. She had never really been shy, but having so much attention on her was such a first that she couldn't help but stiffen a bit.

"Before we begin class, I'd like to introduce you to a new student." Ms. Yasanagi told the class. "Everyone, this is Luna."

Luna followed up with a bow. "My name is Luna Hiryo. It's very nice to meet you all."

Whispers amongst the students were heard around the room as they all talked curiously about the new student. The teacher quickly hushed them. "Now then Luna, there's an open seat over there. Take a seat and we'll begin class."

Luna obeyed the teacher's instructions and sat down at the desk pointed out to her. Even as she sat down, she could still sense a few stares coming her way.

Time went on as Luna attentively listened to the teacher. The first part of consisted of reading and writing. While Luna was caught up with her writing skills thanks to her mother's tutoring, there were a few things she had some difficulty in. But she had done a lot of reading in her spare time at home, so when it came time for her to read aloud to the class Luna spoke out the words with ease. Next up was math, where Luna acceled in. She had been able to do complex calculations with ease back before she had acquired her human body, even checking Rin's work sometimes for her math homework. Even though she wasn't able to calculate to the same degree as a human, elementary school math was childsplay to her. She demonstrated her ability as she quickly answered almost every problem, shocking most of her classmates. It got to the point where the teacher had to directly ask other students to answer.

When it finally came time for lunch, Luna saw most of the kids go into their own groups of friends. She couldn't help but feel a little isolated, having no friends to speak of yet.

Just as Luna was about to consider eating lunch alone, another student motioned for her to come sit with her. Luna walked over and took a seat across from her on the table.

"Hey. Your name's Luna, right?" the student asked. It was a girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes. "My name's Hana."

"Hello Hana." Luna said.

"So what's your story Luna? Did you transfer here from another school."

Her parents had already predicted that students would ask the reason for Luna being a transfer student. They had given Luna a story to tell if the question ever came up. "Yes. I used to go to another school but my family moved recently and this school was much closer."

"Well wherever you went, you sure seemed to learn a lot." Hana said. "You were amazing before, answering all those math problems. I was barely halfway through some of them before you gave an answer."

"R-Really?" Luna asked with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Hmph! Well someone sure thinks highly of themselves." Both Luna and Hana turned to another female student, this one a tan-haired girl with two pigtails. "Don't go thinking your special, new kid."

Luna shrunk back, not understanding why this girl was acting so mean to her. Hana rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, Luna. That's just Fukka. She's a bully that thinks everyone is beneath her. I think it's just because no one likes her."

"I heard that!" Fukka said with a glare.

Hana responded by sticking out her tongue before turning back to Luna. Fukka simply turned her head with a scowl. As lunch period continued, Luna glanced over towards the table Fukka was sitting at, seeing the girl glare at her each time they made eye contact.

Once lunch was over, there was a short recess. Hana brought Luna over to a few other students. "Alright Luna, you know how to play tag right?"

Luna tilted her head. "No, I've never heard of it." She hadn't really done any research on any games kids often played together outside. All of this was a new experience to her.

Multiple kids eyed Luna strangely, finding it odd that she had never even heard of such a common game. Hana didn't seem to mind at all however. "It's alright, the rules are really simple. One person chases everyone around and tries to touch them. If they touch you, then you become "it" and have to run around trying to tag someone else. Simple, right?"

Luna gave a nod of her head. "I think I get it."

"Alright then. Yusuke, you can be it first." Hana said, pointing to one of the boys.

"Got it." Yusuke said. "You've got ten seconds. One… Two… Three…"

As Yusuke counted, the others in the group quickly split up and ran in multiple directions. Luna followed Hana as they ran up the jungle gym to a higher area. "He'll never get us here. If he runs towards us, we can escape down the slide."

Luna understood Hana's logic. She seemed to really know her stuff when it came to this game called tag. It was a game of running away and not letting the other touch you.

"Ten! Ready or not, here I come!" Yusuke called out. He quickly looked around the playground for kids running from him. His eyes caught sight of one and the chase was on.

Luna and Hana watched as the game of tag went about below while they stayed safe and up high. But after a bit, they soon saw the current person chasing others run up their way.

"Quick! This way!" Hana said as she went down the slide. Luna quickly followed after the girl. It wasn't long before their pursuer chased down the slide after them. Luna and Hana ran with all their might to avoid being tagged.

It was a first for Luna, running this much with her human body. It had a different feeling than all of the times she would play with her family in the virtual world. Perhaps that wasn't just because of the exhaustion her body was feeling but also Hana. Was it that Hana might be the first friend she had made at this school?

Luna managed to keep her pace ahead of Hana as they ran. Even still though, she gasped in shock as she suddenly felt someone touch her back from behind.

"Tag! You're it, Luna!"

Turning around in surprise, Luna gasped when she saw that the person had tagged her was actually Hana. The brown haired girl giggled at her. "Sorry Luna. I got tagged just a few seconds ago and you were too close of a target. And remember, no tagbacks."

Luna pouted at her friend, but quickly went to looking for others to tag. When she saw one, she quickly took off running.

This was fun. It was so much fun. Luna didn't really get why but this was the most fun she had felt in a long time.

* * *

When recess was finally over, Luna was exhausted. But at the same time, she also felt refreshed. She was already starting to be accepted by some of her classmates. Though that one girl called Fukka didn't seem to like her too much.

One of the subjects after lunch was history, something Luna made sure to pay close attention to. She had read a few books regarding history due to her curiosity about the real world. But her knowledge on it was still limited and she was excited to know more.

A few more hours ticked away before school was finally over. Everyone left the room, saying goodbye to each other as they walked toward the school gate. Hana walked next to Luna as they made their way through the halls.

"So what do you think of the school, Luna?" Hana asked.

"I really like it." Luna answered with a smile. "Everything's so cool. And I love learning so many new things."

"Oh is that so?" Both Luna and Hana turned around to see Fukka glaring at them with her hands on her hips. "You can't fool me. You just like to show off in front of the rest of the class with how smart you are."

"Leave her alone Fukka." Hana told her. "Why do you have to go and bully everyone?"

"I'm just making sure little miss show off knows her place." Fukka said. "I'm the most popular kid in school, and don't you forget it."

"More like the most obnoxious." Hana muttered under her breath.

Luna held out her hand towards Fukka. "There's no need to be mean to each other. Why don't you walk with us, Fukka?"

Fukka widened her eyes in surprise for a moment at Luna's gesture of kindness, but quickly went back to her scowl. "Like I'd want to waste my time with a loser like you. Just remember to know your place." With that said, Fukka stormed off on her own.

As Luna frowned while Fukka walked away, Hana looked at her. "Why are you acting so nice to Fukka when she's being so mean to you?"

Luna thought to herself for a moment before answering. "Well… it's what you said before. I feel like Fukka doesn't have a lot of friends. So I thought if she and I became friends she'd be a bit nicer."

"... You're pretty strange Luna." Hana said. "But you're also really nice. I'm glad we got to meet each other."

Luna smiled as she nodded. "Hana, we're friends right?"

"Of course silly." Hana said. The two of them continued their walk to the front of the school. "So are you walking home? Or are your parents picking you up?"

Luna shook her head. "My big sisters are coming to pick me up and walk me home."

"Really? How old are they?" Hana asked.

"Hmm… My first sister Lilly is 15, and my other sister Rin is 16." Luna said. "They're both in high school."

As the two girls walked out the front gate of the school, Luna caught sight of Rin and Lilly in the distance with Lilly waving over to her.

"There they are." Luna said. "Come on. I want to introduce you to them." She led Hana over to her two sisters, who both greeted her with a smile. "Hi Rin. Hi Lilly."

"Hey Luna." Lilly said. "Did you have fun at your first day of school?"

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "Rin! Lilly! This is my new friend, Hana." Luna gestured to her friend next to her.

"It's very nice to meet you Hana." Rin said. "Looks like you made a cute little friend Luna."

"Hana!" the voice of a woman sounded in the distance as they four girls looked over and saw a middle aged woman in a car calling over to Hana.

"That's my mom. I gotta go." Hana said, running off towards the car while waving goodbye to the three sisters. "See you tomorrow, Luna!"

"Bye!" Luna said, waving goodbye.

As Hana got in the car with her mother and drove off, Rin and Lilly began to walk home with Luna. "So did anything else exciting happen for your first day?" Lilly asked.

"We played a really fun game during recess! It's called tag! You run around and try to chase people and tag them then run away from them!" Luna explained.

Rin and Lilly both giggled at their little sister getting so excited over something as simple as tag. It was good to see Luna was having a lot of new experiences.

The rest of the walk home, Luna talked all about her first day at school and everything that happened. She had also mentioned how excited she was to go back tomorrow. Even when they got home, school was all she could talk about. Her family was happy to see how much Luna was enjoying her life as an ordinary student.

* * *

The building of one of the biggest newspapers in Japan was bustling with people. Workers walked around left and right, some writers, others editors. There was one man however waiting in the lobby that was neither.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." a female secretary said, walking up to him. "The chief will see you now."

"Thank you." he said as he got up and followed the woman to the office where the chief of the newspaper was waiting for them.

The man took a seat across from the chief, who was dressed sharp and had a stern look to him. The intimidating presence probably put some of his staff on edge whenever they talked with him.

"I hope this is important, and not some stupid sales gimmick." the chief said. "I am a very busy man, and I don't like it when my time is wasted on silly garbage."

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of wasting your precious time." the man said. "In fact, I have some juicy info that I think will make the front page of your paper. For the right price that is."

"So you're trying to sell me this info?" the chief questioned. "I get a lot of people like you. Always thinking you have "headline news" when it's barely anything newsworthy."

"Would you call an artificial intelligence program turned human "barely newsworthy"?" the man asked. A smirk came to his lips when he saw the chief look more attentively at him. "Like I said, I wouldn't dream of wasting your time sir."

"You better not be trying to pull my leg." the chief said with narrowed eyes.

"Believe me, I am quite serious." he said. "I can give you all the details you want. But for now, I think this will suffice as proof." He grabbed a few papers from the folder he was holding and slid them across the desk to the chief. "I can give you the rest of the information once we reach an agreement on how much this is worth."

"Project Luna." the chief said, looking at the papers. He glanced over them. It all looked official to him, and the fact that RECT was behind the project seemed believable too, considering the reputation of the electronics company. He rubbed his chin as he thought about this. It could very well be the story of the century.

"One more thing." the man added. "I'd appreciate it if my name isn't brought up in this. You can say you got it from an… anonymous source."

"Hmm…" the chief contemplated to himself for a moment. "Alright then, I'm listening. However, if any of this proves to be untrue, I can promise you will regret it dearly."

"Then I have nothing to worry about." he said.

A small grin came to the newspaper chief. "Very well. Let's talk business then."

 **A/N: So what did you all think of Luna's first day at school? Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As I'm sure you can tell, a lot is about to happen, so be ready for some drama.**


	51. Invasion of Privacy

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update, but the site was giving me trouble with uploading the latest chapter. Anyways, after the ending of last chapter I'm sure you all want to dive straight in so I'll leave you to it. Enjoy.**

A few days had passed since Luna had started attending school. Each day she would get driven to school by her mother, go to class, then have Rin and Lilly walk her home once school was over. The young girl was finally starting to get used to school life. And she loved it.

As Luna walked into class, she was greeted by the first friend she had made in the school. "Hi Luna. Good morning."

"Good morning Hana." Luna said as she walked over to her friend.

The two girls chatted about various things while they waited for class to start. Over the past few days, Luna had gotten to know several other kids in her class. But none of them were as close to her as Hana. She seemed to be the happy-go-lucky type, always able to make friends with people. One student Luna had learned to be wary of was Fukka, who seemed to dislike everything about her for reasons she could never comprehend.

Every now and then, Luna would catch Fukka glaring at her. But instead of returning the gesture with a glare of her own, Luna always tried to smile back. Perhaps if she stayed kind to Fukka, she would finally open up to her instead of acting mean.

Once their teacher walked into the room, everyone quickly scurried to their seats.

"Alright class, let's begin." Ms. Yasanagi said. "Please open your books to page 32."

The class did as instructed and the lesson began. Luna listened intuitively as class went on, expecting it to be a normal day of school for her.

Little did she know that today was going to be anything but normal.

* * *

Dan straightened out his tie as he walked down the hall of RECT's main office building. He had received a notice from the CEO to meet with him as soon as possible out of the blue. He was on good terms with his boss, so Dan doubted it was anything bad. Perhaps he wanted an update on how Luna was coming along with her finally starting school.

Even though she was human now, Luna had been an AI in the past before her consciousness was transferred to her current body. RECT needed to see how she was acting for future reference if they managed to accomplish this a third time. They had plenty of data from Yui, but anyone in the field of science knew that the best way to collect data was from multiple subjects.

As Dan walked into the CEO's office, he saw his boss waiting for him. "Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Yuuki."

"Dan, we've gone over this. You can just call me Kouichirou when it's just the two of us." Kouichirou told him. "After all, we knew each other long before you started working here."

"Sorry." Dan apologized with a light hearted chuckle. "It just sounds weird to call my boss so casually, especially since you're the CEO of RECT."

Kouichirou let out a small chuckle of his own before letting out a sigh. "Dan, as much as I'd like to keep up this nice conversation, I'm afraid I called you here because we have a problem."

"Problem?" Dan asked. "What's wrong?"

Kouichirou looked out the large glass wall that showed off the outside. He let out a sigh. "Information about Luna was leaked."

Dan widened his eyes. "Leaked… you don't mean-"

"I'm afraid I do." Kouichirou said. "People outside of RECT now know Luna is an AI, as well as the fact that your family is taking care of her. I just found out about it this morning."

Dan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was shocked. The project to transfer an AI's consciousness to a human body was top secret. There were even higher-ups in RECT that didn't know about its existence. "When… How… How did this happen?!"

Kouichirou grimaced. "One of our own people leaked this information to the media. He sold it to them for a payoff."

Dan's hands curled into fists. "Who was it? Who's the bastard that-"

"We already launched an investigation and were able to quickly find out who it was." Kouichirou told him.

"Who was it? When I find him, so help me-"

"I'm stopping you right there." Kouichirou interrupted. "The employee responsible has already been fired, and strictly warned never to step foot near RECT again. I will not disclose who it was to you though." Before Dan could object, Kouichirou continued. "I'm not telling you, because I know exactly what you'd do if you knew who it was. I know because I'd probably do the same if the details about Yui were leaked out. Your family is going to have a lot to deal with very soon. I think it would be best if they didn't have you being arrested for assault to deal with on top of that."

Dan let out a frustrated sigh as he tried to calm himself. As much as he wanted to strangle whoever did this, Kouichirou was right. "How many people know about Luna?"

"It's starting to spread through the media. I'd assume almost every detail that was leaked out will be all over the news by noon." Kouichirou said. "Dan, go home for the day. I'm not telling you this as your boss, but as your friend. Your family is going to need you. Luna is going to need you."

Dan nodded his head understandingly. "Thanks Mr. Yu-... Thanks Kouichirou."

"Just hurry up and go. I'm probably going to have to make a statement soon enough anyway once those hyenas from the media come here."

Not needing to be told twice, Dan walked out of Kouichirou's office and began to leave work. As he walked out of the building, he brought out his phone to call Alicia. She needed to know about this as soon as possible.

* * *

Luna and Hana sat down together at a table for lunch. The new student of the class was happy to have such a close friend to talk to during school. There were other kids that were nice, but no one seemed to connect with her like Hana. Most of the attention that had been on Luna as the "new kid" had died down, so not everyone was running up to talk to her and ask questions.

There was one thing that was weird though. She noticed a few kids at tables eyeing her oddly. She wasn't really sure what to make of it. She couldn't recall doing anything out of the ordinary today. Perhaps her hair was messy without her knowing anything?

Hana soon dragged Luna back into their conversation. "So are you enjoying the school so far, Luna?"

Luna nodded her head while taking a bite of her sandwich. "Yup. It's so much fun learning."

"Well you sure seem to pick up on everything quickly. Especially math." Hana pointed out. "How do you do it Luna?"

Luna simply shrugged her shoulders. "I can't really explain it. I've always just been good with equations. I even helped out my big sister Rin with her math homework before."

Hana's mouth dropped as she heard this. "But you said she's in high school! You can do high school math, even though we're only in elementary school?!"

"Well I can't really do it that easily anymore." Luna explained. "It was easy back when I was an AI-"

As the words escaped her mouth, Luna quickly covered her gasp with her hands. What had she just done? She had been explicitly told not to tell anyone about her past as an AI, both by her parents and the teachers. But she had been so in depth with Hana in their conversation and it was so easy to talk to her that she had just blurted it out.

Hana didn't understand the meaning behind Luna's words. "AI? What does that mean?"

"It means she's a robot!" a voice spoke up. Luna and Hana turned to see Fukka coming over to them, followed by a few other students. She held out her phone in front of the two girls with an article on it.

Hana looked at the screen of the phone. "RECT Progress Breaks Borders Between Real and Virtual Worlds." She looked up at Fukka. "What exactly is this?"

"This article says the brain of some artificial intelligence thingy was put into a fake human body. And it also says the name of the project was called Luna." Fukka told her before looking over at Luna. "That's you, isn't it? You're this program."

Luna saw everyone looking at her. She was told not to reveal that she had been an AI, but she had already done that anyway. And her parents had also taught her not to lie to people. So perhaps it was best if she came clean to her fellow students. She never understood what was so bad about being an AI anyway.

"Yes." Luna nodded. "My Papa gave me this body so I could live a human life, like everyone else. What's wrong?"

"I knew it! You're not human!" Fukka said, pointing an accusing finger at Luna. "You're just a robot! Some kind of freak!"

"Freak?" Luna shrunk back as all the students began to stare at her with strange looks. "But why? My Papa and Mama say I'm human, just like everyone else."

"Ha! Human?! As if!" Fukka sneered at Luna. "Now we see why you're so special! It's not because you're smarter than everyone else! It's because you're a freak!"

Luna didn't understand what was going on. Everyone was beginning to look at her funny. Her parents had told her she was just like everyone else. Rin and Lilly had told her that too. So why was everyone suddenly treating her like some kind of weirdo?

"Luna is not a freak!" Luna's gaze turned to Hana, who stood up from her seat and glared at Fukka. "So what if she's an artificial whatever?! So what if she's not human?! What's the big deal?!"

"The difference is that we're people and she's not." Fukka said. "How can she be a person if she isn't human?"

"Well I don't care what you think! Luna is my friend and I don't care what she is!" Hana yelled.

"Alright, what is going on here?" Ms. Yasanagi said, walking over to the group of students. "What is everyone making such a fuss over?"

"Fukka's bullying Luna!" Hana said, pointing a finger at the bully.

"Luna isn't a real person!" Fukka countered, pointing at Luna. "She's some kind of robot thingy!"

The teacher widened her eyes in shock. The fact that Luna was an AI was supposed to be secret. The only ones that should have known were the staff. "Where did you hear this Fukka?"

In response, Fukka showed the teacher her phone. Ms. Yasanagi looked at the online article, making sure not to let her reaction show in her expression. After quickly scanning over the article, she handed the phone back to Fukka. "Now listen here. I don't care what some silly article says. I don't want to hear of anyone treating Luna differently. Is that clear?"

"But-"

"Is that clear, Fukka?"

"... Yes, Ms. Yasanagi." Fukka pouted.

"Good, now finish up your lunch children. Your break is almost over." the teacher said. She walked out of the cafeteria and headed to the office. If word of this was already getting out, then Luna's parents needed to be told of this right away.

* * *

Lilly sat down for lunch with Yui. The two of them felt glad to have the same lunch period for the year, since it allowed them to talk. Sometimes they would chat about ALO, other times it would be about school related stuff.

"So you preparing for finals. They'll be coming up soon." Yui said.

"Of course." Lilly said with a nod. "I am aiming for the top spot among my class."

"As am I." Yui added. "Good thing we're not in the same year. I'd hate to have you to compete with."

"Likewise." Lilly giggled. Both she and Yui were bright for their age, always getting top marks among their respective class years.

Yui decided to change the topic of conversation. "So how's Luna doing with school? Any new developments?"

"She's doing well. She even made a new friend called Hana." Lilly explained.

"Really? That's good to hear." Yui said. "I remember when I started going to school. I was lucky to have you, Rin, and Strea to help me adjust."

"You didn't take long to make plenty of friends yourself though." Lilly pointed out, causing the two of them to giggle.

As the two friends talked, they saw some more of their school friends come over to sit down with them. "Hey girls. What's up?"

Two of them glanced at each other before looking at Lilly. "Hey Lilly… do you have a relative that works at RECT Progress by any chance?

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah, my dad does. Why?"

The two friends glanced at each other again, making Lilly start to become suspicious. One of them handed their tablet to Lilly. "I think there's something you should see."

Lilly took a look at the article, with Yui leaning her head over to read it as well. As they continued to read it, both of their eyes widened. The article was talking about Luna. And on top of that, it even mentioned that she was under the care of her father and family.

 **RECT Progress Breaks Borders Between Real and Virtual Worlds**

 **RECT Progress, known for being one of the largest electronic manufacturing companies in Japan, was able to accomplish an incredible feet in the world of technology recently. During October of last year, they were able to successfully implant the mind of an artificial intelligence, or AI for short, program into an artificially made human body. The project for this feat is known as Project Luna, named after the very AI used for the experiment. The AI turned human is currently under the care of one of the main RECT workers in charge of the project, Dan Hiryo. CEO of RECT, Kouichirou Yuuki, has yet to make a statement regarding this project to the general public.**

Lilly and Yui couldn't believe what they were reading. The more they read, the more details about Luna they found. There were even pictures of her, most likely from when she had first awoken in the underground lab of RECT.

 _'How did the media find out about this?!'_ Lilly asked herself, unable to hide her shocked expression on her face. _'The details of Luna becoming human were supposed to be top secret!'_

"Lilly… are you ok?" one of her friends asked. "Did you know anything about this?"

"I… I…" Lilly needed a moment to fully wrap her head around what was happening. "I need to make a call." The brunette got up from her seat and walked out of the cafeteria. She stood in the hallway where it was a bit more quieter and brought out her phone, calling her mother.

 _'Please mom. Please pick up.'_ Lilly silently pleaded. She was relieved when she heard her mother answer after a few rings. "Mom, we have a serious problem. There's an article online. It talks about Luna and-"

"I already know about it, your father just called me." Alicia explained. "Listen, reporters are probably going to be surrounding the house by the time you get out of school. I would get Luna out of school now, but I won't be able to get to her without them finding out where she goes to school. When you and your sister get out of school, I want the two of you to pick up Luna and bring her over to your Uncle Kazuto and Aunt Asuna's house. I already cleared it with them, the three of you can stay there for tonight."

"But what about you and dad?"

"We'll try and deal with the reporters when they get here. Your father and I don't want you or your sisters getting caught up in this." her mother told her. "Listen closely, whatever happens, do NOT let anyone find out who Luna is while you're bringing her over to the Kirigaya's house. Her school is one of the few facts I think the media doesn't know about yet. If they find out about that, her chance of any privacy will be over."

"Alright mom." Lilly said understandingly. Right now, it was up to them to protect Luna. "I'll call you when we go pick her up."

"Thank you Lilly. And be safe." With that, the call ended.

Lilly leaned against the wall, still trying to comprehend all of this. They had tried so hard to get Luna to have a normal life. And now that was all going to crumble away in front of them. Even if people didn't know what school she was going to, or even whether she was going to school at all, it was only a matter of time before that information leaked out too.

"Lilly? Are you ok?" Yui's voice snapped Lilly out of her thoughts as she noticed her friend come over to her. "What's going to happen with Luna?"

"Well Rin and I are going to pick Luna up from school like usual. But we're bringing her over to your place." Lilly explained. "My folks already cleared it with yours apparently."

Yui nodded understandingly. "Alright. You want me and Strea to come with you?"

Lilly shook her head. "No, it's probably best to not do that. If there's too many of us, we'll draw attention. Just head home once we get out of school and we'll meet you there." Suddenly, a thought came to her. "I should tell Rin about this too." She quickly texted her sister about the situation. Things were going to get very hectic, and they were only going to get worse before they got better.

Throughout the rest of the school day, Lilly was barely able to concentrate in class. Her mind was too focussed around her little sister and what this was all going to do to her life. Luna hadn't done anything to deserve this. All she could do was curse out whoever caused this information leak to happen.

Once the last class of the day ended, Lilly quickly grabbed her things and met up with Rin in the halls. Rin asked her sister how this had happened, but Lilly shook her head saying she didn't know. The two of them quickly left the school and made their way to Luna's elementary school.

They hadn't wanted to draw much attention, but their worry about Luna had them both on edge, causing them to go from walking to a light run. As they neared the school however, both of their eyes widened.

"What's with that small crowd in front of the school?" Rin asked in worry.

The two sisters went into a full sprint, desperate to get a closer look. As they did, both of their fears were confirmed by flashes of cameras and notepads in people's hands. The group of people in front of Luna's elementary school were all reporters.

Lilly and Rin were both left with open gasps as they looked at this. "How did they find out what school Luna goes to already?" Lilly asked. "That wasn't in the details leaked in the article."

"What do we do?" Rin asked her sister. "How are we supposed to get Luna out of school now? Everyone will see her and there's no way we'll be able to outrun all those reporters."

Lilly shook her head, unable to come up with anything. Any move they made once Luna came outside would only make them seem suspicious. "I'll call mom. She'll know what to do." she said as she took out her phone.

A few rings went by before her mother picked up on the other end. "Lilly? Are you at Luna's school."

"Yeah, but it's not just us." Lilly told her mother. "There's a bunch of reporters here too."

"What?! How did they…" Lilly heard her mother let out a frustrated sigh on the other end. "I was wondering why I hadn't seen anyone at our house yet."

"What do we do mom? Rin and I won't be able to get Luna like this without the media seeing us."

A few moments of silence passed before Alicia gave a response. "Ok, forget the plan to bring her to the Kirigaya's. You two get home, I'll come and pick Luna up at school."

Lilly wanted to argue against it and try to find some way around it, but she knew her mother was right about this. "Alright. We'll head home now." She hung up the phone and let out a sigh before turning to her sister. "Mom's coming to pick up Luna. We're going home."

"What? But what about-"

"Rin I don't like it anymore than you do, but we don't have a choice right now." Lilly said. "Come on. Let's go."

Rin clenched her fists in frustration as she followed Lilly. The two girls walked home together, never feeling more helpless in their life.

 **A/N: So as you can all see there's gonna be lots of drama for the rest of this arc. What's gonna happen next? You'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out.**


	52. Burden

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry about the late update again. I would have updated on time but my laptop was giving me problems and had to get fixed. But thankfully, that problem is gone now and I can upload the chapter for all of you. Enjoy.**

Rin and Lilly walked into their house, closing the front door behind them. They both put their bags down, neither of them feeling overly cheerful. They were too concerned about what Luna must be going through right now. She was probably scared. To be honest, they all were.

As the two sisters walked into the kitchen, they saw their father sitting at the table. "Hey girls." he muttered.

Lilly and Rin took a seat at the table. "Dad, what happened? How did the fact that Luna's an AI get leaked?" Lilly asked.

Dan let out a sigh. "Someone from RECT sold the info to make some cash. From what was leaked, I can only guess he was part of the project himself."

"That's terrible! How could they do that?!" Rin questioned. "Luna won't have any privacy with all of this!"

"Frankly, I doubt they even cared about that." Dan said grimly. "And the media sure doesn't seem to consider her as a person either."

Rin and Lilly both nodded understandingly. From the articles they had read online, these people were treating Luna as a "thing". And object, rather than a person.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Lilly asked. "Luna doesn't deserve this."

"I don't think there is." Dan said. "Right now, all we can do is wait for this mess to sort itself out and for the heat to blow over."

"But that could take weeks! Months even!"

"Believe me Lilly, I know." Dan said. He let out a sigh. "How could I let this happen? If only I had seen this coming sooner. Maybe I could have-"

Rin shook her head. "You can't go blaming yourself, dad. You worked so hard for the chance for Luna to live a normal life."

"Well so much for that. Her life won't even be close to normal now." Dan sulked. "I'm sorry. Thanks for trying to help you two. I just… I'm still trying to process all this."

"What's going to happen to Luna now?" Lilly asked.

"They're not going to take her away from us, are they?" Rin said worriedly.

Dan answered with a shake of his head. "No. Ironically, the fact that Luna is an AI rather than human makes her property of RECT legally. Since Mr. Yuuki entrusted her custody to me, that makes her ours. Legally, no one can take her away from us."

It disgusted him to talk about his daughter like something rather than a living being. But in the legal matters, it was a blessing in disguise perhaps. No one could forcibly take Luna away from them unless there was some matter of mistreatment involved, and he would never do that to Luna.

After another few minutes, the front door opened again. Dan, Rin, and Lilly looked to the entrance of the kitchen as Alicia walked in with Luna.

"It was a nightmare trying to get her out of the school." Alicia sighed. "There were reporters and journalists everywhere. It's only a matter of time before they get here."

As if to prove just how right Alicia was, a knock at the door was heard. Alicia turned to her youngest daughter. "Luna, stay here." she said before walking to the front door. As she opened it, she was met with a woman holding a mic and a cameraman.

"Excuse me Mrs. Hiryo, could we take a moment of your time to-"

"You listen here." Alicia said sternly, cutting the woman off. "Get off my property. Stay away from my family. If you don't, I will call the police and they will make you leave. Good day." Not giving the reporter another word in, Alicia closed the door in her face.

The mother walked back into the kitchen, with Luna looking at her worriedly. "Mama, is everything going to be alright? Why are so many people looking at me funny now?"

Alicia put on a warm smile for her daughter as she kneeled down for her. "Don't worry Luna. Everything's going to be fine." She looked over at Rin and Lilly. "Could you two take Luna upstairs? Your father and I need to talk for a bit."

Rin and Lilly nodded their heads as went upstairs with their little sister. Once she was sure her daughters were upstairs, Alicia let out a sigh as she walked over and took a seat across from her husband at the table.

"How many drinks have you had?" she asked.

"Just a glass." he told her.

"Ok, now how many have you really had?"

Dan let out a sigh. "Alright, a few glasses."

Alicia got up from her seat. "I think I'll have one myself." The black haired woman went over to the selection of alcohol they had and poured herself a drink before walking back over to the table. She frowned. "How could this happen? We were so careful."

"How did Luna take everything?"

"Apparently she accidentally mentioned she was an AI to some of the kids at school, but that was just today so I doubt that really mattered in the end. But when I got there, she already knew something was wrong." Alicia shook her head. "I told her it wasn't her fault, but she keeps thinking it is. And who knows how scared she's going to get from all of this attention on her from the media."

"This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

Alicia leaned her head on her husband. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet." Dan told her as he put an arm around her. "But we'll figure this out somehow. I know we will."

The sound of voices outside caught the attention of the two parents. Reluctantly they got up and went to a window. Standing out by the street were several reporters, and more coming as another van pulled up near the house.

"Well you were right about one thing." Alicia said. "This is definitely going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

* * *

"The facts about the AI known as Luna were illegally leaked out." Kouichirou said to the crowd of people standing outside the main building of RECT. "I will not be making any statements at this time about the details regarding this project."

Unfortunately, the CEO's words went in one ear and out the other to the reporters and journalists. They continued to bombard him with questions regarding Luna. What was the company's goal? Were they planning to use AI soldiers for helping the military? They went on and on.

Asuna let out a sigh as she shut the television off. "My brother's certainly going to have his work cut out for him with all of this."

"I'm sure Uncle Kouichirou can handle it. He's dealt with the media before, right?" Strea asked as she walked into the living room.

"I suppose, but this time is different." Asuna said. "As far as the world knew, giving an AI a near-human body was unheard of. Now with this, it's all everyone's going to be talking about."

"Well your brother did a good job keeping everything under wraps when Yui got her body." Kazuto said. "There was no way he could have known this would happen with Luna though. I'm sure it's just as much of a shock to him as everyone else."

"What about Luna? Shouldn't Rin and Lilly have gotten here with her by now?" Strea asked.

Asuna shook her head. "I got a call from their mother. It seems they weren't going to be able to sneak their way here so they ended up bringing her home."

Strea frowned to herself. "This sucks. Yui was an AI too, and no one ever noticed a difference with her. Why is Luna any different?"

"It's not the matter of there being a noticeable difference Strea, it's the fact that they know Luna is an AI." her father explained. "Whether she acts differently or not isn't what people are going to care about. It's a big story, and you can bet the media is going to milk it for all it's worth."

"But what about Luna?! She could get scars from all of this! It could ruin her life!"

Kazuto shook his head. "I'm afraid they don't really care about that."

"It's not right." Yui said with a grim expression, sitting on the couch. "Luna is so innocent. She shouldn't have to go through this." She frowned. "They're not even right about the fact that she's the first AI to get a body like this. I am. If only they found out about me instead."

"Hold it right there, young lady." Asuna told her daughter. "I know you're worried about Luna, but that doesn't mean you should wish you were in her shoes too."

"But-"

Kazuto put a hand on Yui's shoulder. "Yui, I know you're only thinking about Luna. But if you were to go out and reveal you were an AI too, you'd only be destroying your chances at a normal life too." He looked at her with a caring smile. "Luna will make it through this. She's got her family to be there for her."

Yui knew her parents were right. But that didn't make it any easier. If she could, she'd trade places with Luna in a heartbeat. Because she knew that even she wasn't sure how badly she would have been affected if her secret was revealed back when she was Luna's young age.

"I'm going to my room." Yui said as she got up from the couch and went upstairs. Her parents looked at her worriedly as she went up to her room.

Closing the door behind her, Yui laid down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She and Luna were both AI originally, but Luna had the misfortune of being the one who got found out. So that meant it was her job to do whatever she could to help her.

' _But what can I do?'_ Yui asked herself. ' _In a situation like this… I'm powerless.'_

* * *

Even though night was beginning to show its face with the darkening sky, the horde of media workers lurking outside the Hiryo home was still there. Alicia peeked through the curtains of one of the windows, seeing them in the street. She couldn't even yell at them for being on their property, since they weren't by being out on the street.

With a sigh, Alicia closed the curtains again. She didn't know what to do. The attention on their family from the media wasn't going away anytime soon. At this rate, it wouldn't just be Luna, but Rin and Lilly too that would be hounded by them.

Rin walked downstairs. "Luna's sleeping in her room." she said.

"Thanks Rin." her mother told her. "How's she holding up?"

"Still scared and worried, but Lilly and I managed to ease her a bit I think."

Alicia nodded her head understandingly. Rin took a small peak for herself outside. "Can't they just give it a rest and go home?"

"If only." Alicia said.

"So what are you and dad going to do?" Rin asked. "Will Luna still be going to school?"

"I'm not sure." Alicia told her daughter. "It'd be one thing if we only had the media to worry about. But all of Luna's classmates know her secret too. I don't want to send her to school if she's just going to get bullied all the time for that."

"I can't go to school?" Both Alicia and Rin turned to see Luna standing by the stairway.

"I thought you were asleep Luna." Alicia said.

Luna shook her head. "I couldn't fall asleep." A frown came to her face. "Mama, why is all this happening?"

Alicia didn't really have an answer for her daughter, not one she would understand at least. "Don't let it bother you Luna. This'll all go away soon, I promise."

"Mama… am I a burden to you and Papa?"

Alicia quickly moved over to her daughter. "What are you saying? Of course you're not a burden sweetie."

"But all these people are bothering you because of me, right?"

"Don't you worry about them." Alicia told Luna. "What's most important to me and your Papa is you. Whatever anyone else says, you're still our precious little girl."

Dan soon came towards the front of the house. He looked outside and shook his head. "This is getting out of hand." he said. "I'm putting an end to this."

"What are you going to do?" Lilly asked.

"Tell them to leave. That they're not getting any info about Luna, no matter what they do." he said. "I'm not letting these people stake out our house for god knows how long."

"I'll go with you." Alicia told him.

Dan nodded his head. He turned to Rin and Lilly. "You two stay in here."

The two girls responded with an obedient nod as their parents walked outside. They could only pray that their mother and father would be able to do something about this.

As Luna watched her two sisters look out the window, she frowned. ' _All these people are bothering Mama, Papa, Rin, and Lilly because of me. I'm really just a burden to them all after all aren't I?'_ A small tear shed from her eye. ' _Maybe it'd be better if I weren't around. Then they'd leave them all alone.'_

Quietly making her way to the kitchen, Luna went to the backdoor of the house while her sisters were focussed on what was going on outside. She quietly opened the backdoor, making sure not to alert either of her sisters. Once outside, Luna took off running. She had to get away. If she was gone, then those media people would leave her family alone.

' _Bye Mama. Bye Papa. Bye Rin and Lilly.'_ Luna silently thought as tears fell from her eyes. ' _I'll miss you.'_

Back inside the house, Rin and Lilly watched as their parents argued with the people outside, telling them to leave. Rin let out a sigh. "This is going to be our lives for a while, isn't it?" she asked her sister.

"Seems like it." Lilly nodded. She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew whoever leaked the info about Luna. I'd beat them silly for doing it."

"Never thought I'd hear you resort to violence outside of ALO." Rin commented.

"Well it's not fair!" Lilly yelled. "Luna's done nothing to deserve this!"

"Lilly, calm down. You're going to scare Lu-" Rin fell silent as she turned her head to where Luna had been and saw her gone. "Where's Luna?"

"Maybe she went back upstairs?" Lilly suggested. She walked upstairs and went to her sister's room to check if she was right. When she saw the room empty, she began to grow worried. "She's not up here."

Rin began to check the first floor of the house, growing equally worried. "Luna? Where are you?"

Lilly walked downstairs, reaching the kitchen around the same time as Rin. As the two of them glanced around the kitchen, Lilly's eyes took notice of the fact that the backdoor was slightly open. "Why is the backdoor open?"

Rin looked at the backdoor and gasped. Both sisters ran to the backdoor and ran outside. They looked around the backyard, scouring the place for their sister.

"Do you see her?" Lilly asked.

Rin shook her head. "No, I don't." She turned to her sister. "Could someone have broken in and taken her?"

"I don't think so. The backdoor was locked." Lilly said. "We would have heard something if someone broke in."

"Then… does that mean…"

Both Rin and Lilly knew what this meant. Luna had ran away. Their little sister, who was currently the most important topic all over the news, was now all alone and who knew where.

Not wasting another second, both girls sprinted to the front of the house. Running through the house and out the front door, the two sisters hurried to their parents. "Mom! Dad!"

Both Dan and Alicia turned around, surprised to see the two of them out of the house. "What are you two doing here?" Alicia asked. "I thought we told you to stay inside."

"No time for that, we've got a problem!" Lilly told them.

"What is it?" Dan asked.

Not wanting to tell the media standing right before them, Rin and Lilly whispered the fact that Luna had ran away in their parents ears. As they heard this, both their parents widened their eyes in shock and disbelief.

"What did you say?!" Alicia gasped.

Dan turned to the reporters and journalists. "Alright, that's it! Go away! We have other things to deal with!"

"Mr. Hiryo, just a few comments-"

"LEAVE!" Dan shouted. The reporters could tell the seriousness in his voice and backed off. Dan turned back to his family once they were out of earshot. "Ok, she couldn't have gotten that far. Rin and Lilly, you search on foot. Your mother and I will drive around and try to see if we can find her."

Rin and Lilly nodded their heads and took off running. Lilly brought out her cellphone. "I'll call Yui and Strea. They live close enough where they could search too. We need to cover as much ground as possible."

"Yeah. We have to find her, no matter what." Rin agreed.

Little did the girls know that their conversation was overheard by a couple of reporters getting into their vans. Glancing at each other, they quickly put together what was going on. The biggest story of the century was out and about, free from it's family's protection.

"Seems we're on the hunt for an AI." one of them said.

 **A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, the latest story in my Lost Stories fic is Persona based. So for all of you Persona fans, I think you'll enjoy it.**


	53. A Family's Love

**A/N: One more week until Fatal Bullet releases in the U.S everyone! I don't know about you, but I am so psyched! Between school work, writing, and playing Fatal Bullet, I might have to go back to a 2 week update schedule for this story. It's not decided yet, as it will depend on how busy I get, but I'm just giving you all a fair warning.**

"Luna! Luna, where are you?!" Rin shouted.

"Luna!" Lilly yelled out as well. "Please, answer us!"

Rin and Lilly had been running around their neighborhood for the past half an hour, desperate to find their sister. But no matter where they searched, or how loud they yelled, Luna was still nowhere to be found.

"I'm worried. Where could she have gone?" Lilly asked.

"I don't know." Rin said with a shake of her head. "She barely knows her way around the neighborhood, so I figured she'd stay somewhere near here. But if she really tried to run away for good-"

"-she could be anywhere." Lilly said, finishing her sister's thought. The very thought terrified them both. Luna was far too exposed to danger already, even without her wandering around alone. Every second they wasted was another second Luna could end up getting hurt or worse.

"We have to find her, and fast." Lilly said.

"Let's try looking outside the neighborhood. We'll split up to cover more ground." Rin suggested.

Lilly nodded her head in agreement and the two sisters went their separate ways, running around in a frantic attempt to find their little sister. One thought echoed through both their minds.

' _Please be safe, Luna.'_

* * *

"Luna! Are you here?!" Alicia called out from the window of her car. "Luna sweetie, please! Where are you!"

Alicia sighed as she pulled over to take a quick break and regain her composure. Tears of worry ran down her cheeks. It was night outside and the streetlamps being the only source of light around didn't make finding her daughter any easier.

Why would Luna run away like that? Deep down, she knew the answer as she thought back to what Luna had asked her earlier.

" _Am I a burden to you an Papa?"_

' _Luna, you could never be a burden.'_ Alicia silently thought to herself as she wept her eyes. ' _Why? Why did you have to run off like this? How could I have let her run off like this?'_

Alicia cursed herself. How could she have been such a failure as a mother? Her main priority had always been to her family, especially her three daughters. Why hadn't she noticed Luna was suffering so much more than she realized? She should have found a way to prevent this nightmare from ever happening.

' _Luna, dear. Please, wherever you are, just be safe. If something happened to you… I'd never forgive myself.'_

She had already lost Luna once, back when she had been nearly deleted in ALO so many years ago. She couldn't bear to go through that loss all over again. Alicia continued to drive around in order to find her youngest daughter. She kept calling out her name.

* * *

Yui sighed as she watched some television in her family's living room. She wanted to get her mind off of everything that was going on right now, which made her stay a mile's length away from any type of news channel.

"You're still worried, huh sis?" Strea asked, sitting on another couch in the room.

"Why do people have to act so insensitive sometimes?" Yui asked. "Luna may not be a regular human, but her psyche is still that of a little girl. Doesn't anybody give a damn what might happen to her with all this attention on her?"

"Well you certainly do, I can say that much." Strea pointed out. "In fact, you might just care about this as much as Rin and Lilly, maybe even more so."

Yui certainly couldn't deny that. As an AI herself, she understood Luna better than anyone else probably could. And it was especially because of that, that she knew just how hard this must be on Luna.

"I just wish there was something I could do." Yui said. "If I ever find who leaked out that information about Luna though, I'm gonna slug them in the face."

Strea blinked in surprise. This really was eating away at her sister more than she had thought. She had never known Yui to be the type to resort to violence outside of playing VR games. Yui had always been the more calm and collected one between the two of them. Just as Strea was about to say something to her sister, she heard her cellphone start ringing. The chestnut haired girl brought it out and looked at who was calling her.

"Huh, it's Lilly." Strea said. Answering the phone, she brought the device to her ear. "Hey Lilly, what's-... Wait what?! Are you sure?!"

Yui took notice of the alarm in her sister's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah… yeah… Ok, got it. We'll start looking right away." Strea said. She hung up the phone and quickly ran into the kitchen where her parents were. "Mom, Dad, there's trouble! Luna's missing!"

"What?!" Asuna asked in alarm.

"What happened?" Kazuto questioned.

Strea shook her head. "I don't know. Lilly just called me. Apparently, Luna ran away from home while the media was stalking out their house."

Asuna widened her eyes in fear. "This is bad. Do they have any idea where she is?"

"Lilly said she and Rin looked around their neighborhood, but couldn't find her anywhere." Strea explained.

Kazuto quickly stood up and grabbed his coat. "Alright, we'll start looking too. Your mother and I will drive around and see if we can find her. You and Yui go and-"

The father stopped as he heard the front door quickly open and shut. They all watched as Yui ran off, probably desperate to find Luna after overhearing their conversation.

"I-I'll go and look around with her!" Strea said as she ran to the front door, grabbing her coat before running out of the house to search too.

Kazuto sighed to himself. "Damnit… how could this happen?"

"We can worry about that later." Asuna said, already putting on her coat. "Right now, we need to try and find Luna before something happens to her."

Kazuto nodded in agreement as he and his wife quickly went to his car to join the search.

* * *

Luna walked through the cold night. She shivered, not having brought a coat with her. The young girl looked around for someplace she could get warm but there was nothing. Most stores were closed for the night, and she couldn't go to other people's houses.

She would be able to easily get warm if she went back home, but that was no longer an option. She couldn't go back there with the people from the media bothering her family because of her. And even if she did want to go back, she had no idea how to get there. She didn't even know where she was.

As she walked along the city streets, her fear simply grew more and more. What would she do now? There was nowhere she could go. She had no place to belong.

' _Maybe I should just disappear…'_ Luna thought. ' _That way, no one will be burdened by me ever again.'_

Continuing to walk along the side of the streets, Luna eventually saw a place she recognized. A park that her family had brought her to once.

As she looked at the park on the other side of the street, she saw a stray cat walking around. It began to cross the street, but unbeknownst to the animal, a car was driving along near it.

"Look out!" Luna exclaimed, running and grabbing the cat, pulling it back to the side of the street and saving it from being run over. The driver beeped the car's horn as it drove by, scolding Luna for doing something so dangerous.

Luna looked at the cat she had just saved. "Are you alri-" She was cut off as the cat struggled to get out of her grip, scratching at her. "Ow! Hey stop that!" The claws of the cat scratched her arm before it got free and ran away from her. Luna frowned, wondering why the cat had attacked her after she saved it.

Looking at her arm, Luna saw a cut where the cat had clawed at her. She could see blood, but luckily none was coming out. The cold stung on her cut, but Luna tried to ignore it as she carefully crossed the street and went through the park entrance.

As she walked through the park, Luna remembered when she had come here with her family. She had a lot of fun back then. Running around with her sisters. Looking at the flowers and animals with her mother. Sitting on the bench with her father. So many treasured memories. And she would never be able to make more like them.

Luna walked over to the swing set. She sat down on it. She rocked back and forth slightly as she frowned and wondered what she should do.

' _Someone… help me…'_ Luna thought as she cried. ' _I'm scared… I don't know what to do.'_

* * *

Yui ran desperately as she searched for Luna. She had been in such a rush that she had forgotten to grab her jacket. The coldness of the night nipped at her skin as she ran, but that didn't stop her. Nothing would stop her. She had to find Luna no matter what.

"Luna!" Yui called out. "Luna, are you here?!"

The city streets were pretty barren with it being this late, so there weren't many around to wonder what had the teenage girl in such a rush. Yui looked everywhere as she called out Luna's name.

"Excuse me, sir!" Yui asked as she ran up to a man. "I'm looking for someone. She's looks about ten years old, short black hair, hazel eyes. Have you seen her?"

"Hmm… let me think." the man thought for a moment. "Oh, now that you mention it, I think I saw a little girl alone near the park a few blocks down. I didn't get a good at her though so I don't know if its her."

A possible clue was better than nothing. "Thank you sir." Yui said before running off towards the direction of the park.

Yui ran as fast as her legs would allow. She could only hope and pray that the girl the man had seen was Luna. As she ran around towards the front entrance of the park, Yui noticed a young girl sitting on the swings as she looked through the gate. Taking a closer look, Yui recognized the girl as Luna. Quickly bringing out her phone, Yui texted Strea, Rin, and Lilly.

 _Guys I found Luna. She's at Yasikuwa Park. -Yui_

With the text sent, Yui continued running to the front entrance of the park.

On the swings, Luna swung back and forth. The lamps were the only thing illuminating the park in the cold night. She didn't know what to do. The media would just keep bothering her family as long as she was around. But where else was she supposed to go?

' _Maybe I really should just disappear…'_ Luna thought to herself. ' _Then Mama, Papa, Rin, and Lilly wouldn't have to be bothered because of me.'_

"Luna!" a voice shouted out. "Luna!"

Luna looked towards the entrance of the park and saw Yui running towards her, as fast as she could. All of the exhaustion she had from running caught up to her as she came up to Luna. "Thank goodness. I finally found you."

"Yui…" Luna mumbled, not understanding why she was here. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? Everyone's worried and looking for you." Yui said. "Rin and Lilly told me you ran off. Your family's worried sick!"

Luna frowned as she held her head low. "But it would be better for them if I wasn't around. I should just disappear."

"Luna, what are you saying?" Yui questioned. "Why would you possibly think that?"

"Because I'm just a burden to them."

Yui took a seat at one of the swings next to Luna. "Luna, is this about the media's attention on you?"

Luna nodded her head. "They keep bothering Mama and Papa because of me. I don't want to cause them any more trouble."

Yui shook her head. "Luna, you can't think like that. You aren't a burden to your family, trust me."

"But how would you know?" Luna asked.

"Because that's what family is all about." Yui explained. "They don't care what they have to endure as long as you're there. They love you, and that trumps whatever they might have to go through to have you in their life."

"But-"

"You think my parents didn't have to make sacrifices to help me join the family?" Yui questioned. "But that doesn't matter to them. Because they love me. Just like your parents love you too."

Yui thought about what Yui's words. Was the things she was saying really true?

"LUNA!"

Both Yui and Luna turned their heads and saw Alicia running frantically over to them. At the sight of her mother, all of the fear Luna had been feeling over being alone came rushing back all at once. She jumped off the swings and ran to her mother. "Mama!"

Alicia kneeled down and embraced her daughter in a tight hug. "What were you thinking, running off like that?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

"I'm sorry, Mama." Luna frowned.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again! Do you hear me?!" Alicia said, crying out tears of relief.

"Mama… can we go home?" Luna asked. "I just want to go home."

Alicia nodded her head, still holding Luna tightly. "Of course Luna. Let's go home."

"There she is! It's the AI girl!"

Suddenly, the park entrance became crowded as journalists and reporters began to come in. Flashes from cameras blinded Alicia, Yui, and Luna as the people there only seemed interested in trying to make Luna into some story for them.

"How did they find her?" Yui asked.

"I don't know, but I do know one thing." Alicia said as she let go of Luna and stood back up. "This ends now." She looked at Yui. "Watch Luna for me. This'll only take a moment."

Yui nodded her head and held Luna's arm as Alicia walked over to the reporters. Alicia was one hundred and ten percent done with this media garbage. They had invaded her family's privacy, scared her little girl, and made Luna run away. Her patience was at its end.

"Mrs. Hiryo, could we possibly see Luna." a reporter asked. "Just a few quick questions."

"Could you explain to us why you have her out here late at night?"

"There is word that Luna ran away. Is this true?"

"ENOUGH!" Alicia shouted, silencing all of them at once with her stern voice. She glared at every single one of them. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You people have hounded my family, invaded our privacy, all for what? To get a simple story? Do all of you have to stoop so low as to scare a little girl for all of this?"

"Mrs. Hiryo, the AI-"

"Her name is Luna, and she is not some simple program like you all think!" Alicia told them. "She can think for herself! She has feelings! She is a ten year old girl, that has had all forms of privacy stripped away from her in the course of a day by you people! Perhaps that wasn't in the details that were illegally leaked to you all!" She looked at all of them. "Are any of you parents? Would you want your children to go through what you are all doing to Luna? Well?"

"Ma'am, you must understand, something like this is unprecedented." one of them said. "This is a huge undertaking in the field of science."

"Luna is not some science project!" Alicia argued. "She is my daughter, and you people are not getting one step closer to her!"

"But her mind is different than that of a human's. We simply must know as much as there is to know about her, and how she operates."

"Could you tell us exactly how her AI was originally developed?"

Yui and Luna watched as Alicia tried to deal with the mass of reporters and journalists. No matter what Alicia said, they didn't seem to care. Yui could see that all they were interested in was their stupid story.

"Luna, stay here." Yui said, letting go of her and walking forward.

"Yui?"

"It'll be fine. I promise." Yui assured her fellow AI.

Over by Alicia, the mother was still being bombarded with questions. The flashes of cameras was seriously starting to irritate her sight.

"What made you decide to enroll Luna in school?"

"Is your husband trying to show off RECT's latest creation with this?"

"How does RECT plan to move forward from here?"

"Will you people listen?!" Alicia told them all. "Luna is not some attraction for you all! Now go home!"

"But Mrs. Hiryo, this is groundbreaking. Don't you see what Luna is? She is an AI implanted in an artificial human body. The first of her kind."

"LUNA IS NOT THE FIRST AI TURNED HUMAN!" the sudden outburst from Yui caused everyone to fall silent as all heads turned to the raven haired teenager. "I am!"

Alicia widened her eyes. "Yui, what are you doing?!"

"It's alright." Yui assured her as she stepped forward. She looked at the multitude of media personnel all staring silently at her. Yui took a deep breath, knowing there was no going back. "My name is Yui Kirigaya. I was originally an AI before RECT gave me my human body eight years ago, thanks to my father Kazuto Kirigaya. I've lived a normal human life these past eight years. I've gone to school. I've played with friends. I've joked and laughed with my sister, a natural born human. And not once did anyone ever treat me like I was different! That's because I'm not! I may not be a natural born human being, but I can still think and feel just like any other human in this world. And Luna is the same. Nobody even knew what she was. You all had to be told and given classified evidence just to even have a clue." She glared at them all. "So why do you all seem to act as if we're different?! If being an AI makes us so different from other people, then why have none of you noticed these "differences" until just now?!" She waited for an answer, only getting silence from the people there. "Well?! You all seem to think we're not even counted as people, so go ahead and tell me what this glaring difference is?!"

The reporters and journalists all glanced at each other, wondering if any of them could give an answer. "So… you're saying that you are the first AI turned human?"

"That's right." Yui told them.

"Could you answer a few questions for us then. We would like to know-"

"I think that's enough." a new voice spoke up. The group watched as a police officer walked up to them all. "You people do know this counts as harassment and an invasion of privacy, right? I could arrest all of you right now, should these two press charges."

"What?!" one of them exclaimed.

"B-But that's not how the law works!" another said.

"Actually it does." the officer told them. "That little girl you all seem so interested in exposing every little detail about happens to have a family. And your harassment has also stretched to them all as well. They do have human rights you know."

"What about the other one then?!" another of them said, pointing at Yui.

"As it so happens, I've been informed that the Japanese government has established human rights for her as well." the officer explained. "Meaning harassing her can be considered the same crime as doing it to any other human."

"You can't be serious?!"

"Oh I can assure you, I am." he said.

Alicia blinked her eyes in surprise. The harassment against her and her family made sense, but she had never heard of the government officially granting Yui human rights. It would involve exposing her identity. She glanced at Yui, who gave a small shrug, telling she didn't know what was going on either.

"Now then, do any of you want to stay? Cause if so, don't blame me if these two here decide to press charges." the officer told them.

The group of reporters and journalists glanced at each other. Deciding to cut their losses, they began to disperse and leave. Once they were out of earshot, the officer chuckled to himself. "Can't believe they bought that. Good thing they didn't ask for my name and badge number, or I could have been in serious trouble."

"Um… excuse me officer?" Alicia asked.

The man could understand Alicia and Yui's confusion. "Yes, I know. All that I told them was one giant lie. I was bluffing to try and get them to leave. Looks like it worked. I doubt they'll be bothering you anytime soon with the threat of a lawsuit hanging over them."

"But why did you step in like that?"

"Well, I am a police officer after all. It's my duty to help citizens in need." he explained. "Plus Chief Makengo of Tokyo PD called in a favor I owed her. I figure with this, she and I are even now."

Alicia blinked in surprise. "But how did she find out Luna was missing?"

"Probably my dad, knowing him." Yui said. "Rin and Lilly called Strea and she told us what happened. My dad probably asked her for help with this."

Alicia made a mental note for herself to thank Kazuto and Shino later. Luna walked up to her mother. "Mama, does this mean those people will stop bothering us?"

"For now, sweetie." Alicia told her.

"Well I'd say this should still go away before long." the officer said. "Though I'm just a police chief, I can't say for sure. But by the time they realize they were lied to, this whole AI human business will be old news. I can't say for sure though. As for whether or not you two AI girls can even be considered for human rights, you'd have to go way higher up than me to figure out how things will work out legally."

Alicia let out a sigh. This was going to be a long hard battle. But for now, she had her little girl back. That was all that mattered to her.

"Luna!" the voices of Rin, Lilly, and Dan all shouted as the three of them ran into the park. Luna ran up to the rest of her family and hugged them, apologizing for worrying them.

It wasn't long before Yui's family arrived at the park too. Yui explained to them what happened, including about how she had revealed to the world that she was originally an AI like Luna.

"I'm sorry." Yui told them. "I know you worked really hard to keep my secret for so long. But I wanted to get the heat off of Luna, even if it meant it went to me instead."

"You have no reason to apologize sweetie." Asuna said as she hugged her daughter. "You were protecting a friend. No one can fault you for that."

"And don't worry about school either. Anyone that tries to make fun of you over this, I'll knock 'em out." Rin said with a grin.

"I'm not sure you going to the principal's office is going to solve anything." Alicia told her daughter. "And if I do get a call saying you started a fight, there will be consequences."

Rin gave a nervous laugh, knowing her mother was serious. So solving the problem with her fists was out, which somewhat limited her options. But she would still defend Yui as her friend no matter what. That was one thing she knew for sure.

"Things are going to get crazy at school for all of us." Strea admitted with a sigh. "We're all either AIs or related to one."

"Let them think what they want. We know the truth." Lilly said.

The two sets of parents smiled at their kids, happy to see that they weren't going to let this put them down. "I think we've all had a long enough night. Why don't we all go home?" Dan suggested.

No one raised an argument to that so the Kirigayas and Hiryos said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the night.

* * *

"Alright sweetie, there we go." Alicia said as she put a bandaid over the small cut Luna had gotten from the cat earlier. "All better."

"Thank you Mama." Luna said.

Alicia lifted her daughter up in her arms. "Ok then, now it's time for you to sleep. It's way past your bedtime."

Luna nodded her head understandingly. Alicia brought her back to her room and laid her down in bed, putting the blanket over her. Her father came into the room and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Luna. Sweet dreams."

"Mama… Papa…" Luna said. "I'm sorry about running away before. I didn't mean to worry you."

"We know sweetheart." Alicia told her. "Just promise us you'll never do something like that ever again."

Luna nodded her head. "I promise Mama."

"Good." Alicia stood up again and patted her youngest daughter on the head. "Good night Luna."

Luna closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, clearly exhausted from everything that had happened to her today. Dan and Alicia walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. They went to their room and got ready for bed themselves.

"So what next?" Alicia asked.

"I'll have to see with Kouichirou." Dan said. "RECT will undoubtedly have to discuss things with the government about how Yui and Luna will be considered. But considering what they've allowed so far, I think we shouldn't have too much trouble."

"We can only hope." Alicia said. She crawled into bed along with her husband. Closing her eyes, she drifted to sleep. "Goodnight Dan."

"Goodnight Alicia." he said back to her as he did the same.

 **A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed this arc everyone. As I'm sure you can all tell, there's going to be a lot changing now that both Luna and Yui have their identities revealed. I have some exciting things planned for this story and I hope you look forward to them.**

 **Also, some of you may have noticed this but I recently started co-writing a Cardfight Vanguard fic with Deviljho's Hatred. For any of you that are fans of the game, I hope you check it out.**


	54. In the Spotlight

**A/N: Woo! Fatal Bullet has released! I have waited so long for this and I plan to enjoy this game to the fullest! But I still have my responsibilities as a writer so here's the latest chapter of this story for all of you.**

Alicia wasn't entirely keen on Luna returning to school so soon after everything that had happened. She was honestly hoping to wait a few days at the very least. She had Luna stay home yesterday with how late she had gone to bed after all of the craziness that had happened. But Luna had been insistent on going back to school like normal, and wanted to go the next day. She also assured her mother she had a friend to be there for her in her class. It had been a tough decision for the mother, but she decided that if Luna was this sure, then she should trust her.

Coming up to the front of the school, Alicia pulled the car to a stop. "Luna, are you sure about this? It's fine if you want to wait another day or two."

"I'm sure Mama." Luna told her. "I'll be fine. And besides, Hana will be there too."

Alicia wasn't so sure about how friendly this Hana girl might be now that she knew Luna was an AI. It was easy for someone Luna's age to think they knew someone and turn out to be completely wrong. But perhaps Luna was right and this friend of hers didn't care about Luna's past as an AI after all. Plus, she'd have her teacher there to look out for her as well.

"Alright then, sweetie. Rin and Lilly will be here to pick you up after school lets out like usual." Alicia told her daughter as she leaned over and hugged her. "Have a fun day."

"I will." Luna nodded as she hugged her mother back. She opened the door and got out of the car. She waved to her mother. "Bye Mama! I love you!"

Alicia waved goodbye to her daughter and drove off. She silently prayed that Luna's classmates wouldn't heckle her about being an AI. She knew full well how kids could act at that age. There was also Rin and Lilly, who would no doubt have students asking them questions about their AI sister. But they were both big girls and could handle themselves.

Luna hurried to her class as she walked through the halls. As she made her way there, she noticed the stares of multiple students come her way. She didn't let them bother her though. She had figured a few kids would still feel weird around her. But she was sure Hana and a few others would still be kind to her.

Walking into class, Luna showed her usual cheerful smile. "Hi everyone."

Most of the class gave Luna the same distance that everyone else seemed to. But just as she had thought, Hana waved over to her in the same friendly way as always. "Hi Luna. Good morning."

Luna walked over and sat at one of the desks next to Hana. "So why weren't you here yesterday Luna?" Hana asked.

"My Mama had me stay home for the day. She was worried about me, but I told her I'd be fine. So she's letting me start school again today."

As the two girls talked, two other students walked up to them. "Umm… Luna…"

Luna turned her head curiously to them. "Yes? What is it?"

"Well… it's just… We're sorry." one of them told her.

"About acting mean to you the other day." the other one clarified. "We didn't mean to."

Luna showed a smile to both of them. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize. I just hope we can still be friends."

The two students nodded their heads before returning to their desks. Luna was happy to see that it wasn't just Hana that was accepting her as an AI. Hopefully the rest of the school would feel the same way before long.

"Ms. Yasanagi talked with the whole class yesterday." Hana explained. "She explained about… well about you being an AI. She also told the class not to pick on you. So you don't have to worry Luna."

"That's good to hear." Luna said with a smile.

"I don't really get it all, but that doesn't really matter to me." Hana said. "You're Luna. That's all that matters."

Luna felt lucky to have a friend like Hana. She was just like her family. They didn't see her as an AI. They saw her just as another human being. And that was all she wanted.

Over at a corner in the room, Fukka scowled as she looked at Luna. ' _Hmph, that Luna girl thinks she's so special. She's just some robot freak.'_ She saw Luna look her way and wave at her with a smile. Fukka simply looked away. ' _I'm not jealous of her. I'm definitely not jealous.'_

* * *

Yui was really not looking forward to today.

She had been worried yesterday about people mobbing her about her sudden reveal at being an AI. Luckily though the news of it hadn't reached headline news until that afternoon, most likely due to the fact of how late it was when she had revealed everything to the media to protect Luna. However, that meant that today nearly everyone in her school would be aware of her secret.

It was made painfully clear that everyone knew when she walked through the halls.

Students whispered to each other as Yui walked down the halls of her school with Strea at her side. She tried to ignore it, but it wasn't easy. People that would casually wave to her in the past were suddenly acting reclusive and distant. No one seemed to know how to act around her, just because it was suddenly revealed that she was an AI.

' _I knew this was coming.'_ Yui thought to herself with a small sigh. ' _I just have to hope that everything goes back to normal soon.'_

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Yui let out a quiet groan as she heard the irritating voice behind her. This was the one person Yui was hoping to avoid now, but that had been wishful thinking in the end. She and Strea turned around to find Madoka and two of her friends sneering at them, namely Yui.

"You've been a very bad girl, Kirigaya." Madoka said in a condescending tone. "Keeping such a secret all this time. Don't you know it's rude to keep secrets from people?"

"Leave her alone, Madoka." Strea told the bully, standing up for her sister.

"I wonder, is that computer brain of yours what allowed you to get good grades all this time?" Madoka questioned. "It seems little Miss Perfect had to cheat her way to the top. Not so perfect if you ask me."

Strea watched as other students watched the scene unfold. None of them were standing up for Yui. They were either too afraid of Madoka, or worse, thinking she was right. That meant it was up to Strea to be the one to support Yui.

"Yui's never cheated once in her life." Strea argued. "Her brain works just the same as anyone else's! She studies hard to get the grades she gets!"

Madoka ignored the younger sister and kept her gaze at Yui. "What's the matter, Yui? You need the actual human in your family to talk for you? Is your processor broken?"

"That's enough, Madoka."

All heads turned to see Rin and Lilly walking over, both sisters glaring at the bully. Madoka rolled her eyes at the sister duo.

"What do you two want? Don't you already have a robot to take care of?" she asked.

Rin's hands curled into fists as she found it increasingly harder not to throw a punch at Madoka right now. "Her name is Luna and she's not a robot. She's our sister."

"And Yui's not a robot either." Lilly told her. She looked at the students standing around. "What's wrong with all of you? You've never acted like this in front of Yui before. So what if she's an AI? She's still the same girl she was before this."

Some of the students glanced at each other. They couldn't deny the point Lilly made. Madoka however let out a cruel hearted laugh. "If you want to go and play make believe with some fancy machinery then go right ahead. It won't change what Yui really is. And that other one you two call your sister is no different. They're freaks, both of them."

"That does it!" Rin yelled as she prepared to charge at Madoka, unable to put up with the insults towards Yui and Luna any longer. Before she could though, Lilly grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Rin, don't! Remember what mom said." Lilly told her sister.

"How can you stand there and let her get away with that?!" Rin asked her sister.

"Just let it go." Lilly said.

Madoka smirked as she watched the two Hiryo sisters argue. "See? Lilly gets the picture."

"Oh I get the picture alright." Lilly said. "I get how pathetic you are."

Madoka's expression quickly turned into a scowl. "What was that? You wanna say that again?"

Lilly let go of Rin as her sister eased up. She looked at Madoka with a surprising smirk of her own. "Well it's just that when someone talks down to people, the truth is they're even sadder than the people they insult. So with all the horrible things you're saying about Yui and Luna, you must be even worse than that." Words could not describe how much Lilly enjoyed seeing the look of rage on Madoka's face as she said that. This girl had made her school life hell all of last year. Now it was time for some well deserved payback. "Frankly, all I'm seeing is what a sad excuse for a human being you are. The truth is, it doesn't matter whether Yui's an AI or not. She's still smarter than you, stronger than you, and a better person than you'll ever be. So if you really need to talk down to her to feel good about yourself, then all I can feel towards you is pity."

At this point, Madoka looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel. "How dare you?! You think a nerdy little bitch like you can talk to me like that and get away with it?!"

"Madoka hold on. Calm down." one of her friends said.

"Yeah. Think about where we are." another one of them pointed out.

The advice from the two girls kept Madoka from going berserk as she calmed herself as best she could. She shot a glare with all the hate and malice she could muster as she looked at Yui. "You just keep in mind what you are, you freak of nature."

As Madoka walked away, Rin looked at her sister. "Damn Lilly. You really got to her with that."

"There's other ways to fight besides throwing a punch." Lilly said with a smirk. "And this way won't get us in trouble."

Strea looked at her sister. "Are you alright, Yui?"

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for standing up for me sis." She turned to the Hiryo sisters next. "You too, girls. You're the best."

"It was nothing. As if we'd let that jerk Madoka turn you into her verbal punching bag." Rin grinned.

"We all better get to homeroom." Lilly suggested. "See you later."

Yui waved goodbye to her friends and sister as she made her way to homeroom. Walking into the classroom, Yui could feel the stares coming her way as she went to take her seat. She did what she could to ignore them. At the very least, no one was berating her like Madoka had been.

Classes were all the same for Yui. She went, paid attention to the teacher, and got through the class period. In each one, students gave Yui the same odd look. Even students that she had known for years were looking at her oddly. In one of her classes, a friend of hers walked up to her. She had been the first one all day to actually speak to her outside of her friends that actually knew her secret.

"Yui… Is it true? About… Well about how you're an AI?"

Yui nodded her head. She wasn't going to simply deny everything after all of this. "Yes, it's true. I used to be an AI, but my consciousness was implanted into the body you see now. It's artificial, but I still like to consider myself human."

Her friend nodded understandingly. "I see." She looked at Yui, not sure of what to say. "I'm sorry Yui. I get you're still you, but this is kind of a big shock. I just need a bit to wrap my head around it. We all do. Once we do, I think we'll be able to have things go back to normal. I'm sorry. I know it isn't very fair to you."

Yui shook her head. "It's alright. I understand. It's just nice to know someone still sees me as me." Frankly, it was the closest thing she had gotten to someone outside her close circle of friends accepting the fact that she was an AI. She would take what she could get.

Her friend walked back over to her desk and took a seat. The teacher soon came in and everyone sat down for class. Yui started to feel a little better about her whole situation now. Perhaps if she gave everyone a bit of time, things really would go back to normal, or at least as normal as they could get for her.

Finally it was time for gym class. Yui was in the girl's locker room, changing into her gym clothes. As she did, a familiar face walked up to her.

"Hey Yui."

"Hi Akane." Yui greeted, unable to fully hide the surprise in her voice that someone was still casually talking to her. Despite the fact that Akane knew Luna's secret since Lilly had told her after they became friends, the teen idol had no idea that Yui had been an AI until now. "So um… I guess you heard the news about me, huh?"

Akane nodded her head as she got changed with Yui. "Yeah. I did hear."

"Not to be rude or anything, but I'm surprised your talking to me like this. Everyone else has been… well, distant."

"Well… I do admit, it was surprising to hear that you were an AI." Akane told her. "But I remembered meeting Lilly's sister Luna. She was a little odd, but she still acted pretty normal for the most part. I did call Lilly after I saw the news about you though, and she told me she and Rin had already known since you were kids."

"Lilly told you?" Yui asked.

Akane nodded her head. "Yeah, it came as a bit of a shock. But if they can treat you normally, I didn't see why I couldn't." She smiled at the raven haired teen. "Ever since I came to this school, I've been trying to get people to see me as a regular girl instead of Akimi. It wouldn't be fair to not give you the same courtesy. Plus, you've always been kind towards me, like Lilly."

It was nice to hear how understanding Akane was being towards Yui's secret. They had gotten to know each other over the past few months since she started school, but it was still a bit of a shock to see Akane act the same towards her as always.

And of course the touching friendly moment had to be ruined when Yui felt a sudden sensation of coldness go down her back.

Yui jumped with a startle when someone pulled the back collar of her shirt and poured a bit of ice cold water down her back. She turned around, only to be met with the same bully from this morning.

Madoka laughed at Yui. "Oops, looks like you're leaking some oil there little miss robot."

Yui grit her teeth as she glared at Madoka. "Don't you have anything better to do than pick on people."

"Aw, what's the matter? Mad that you don't have anyone to hide behind this time?" Madoka teased.

"What's your problem?!" Akane yelled at her. "What did Yui do to deserve that?!"

"This is what she gets for acting like she's so perfect all the time. You should smarten up and get some human friends, Akimi."

"My name is _Akane_!" she told her sternly.

Madoka rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't get you. You could be one of the most popular kids in school, if you showed off who you are. But if you want to hang with a group of losers, don't let me stop you. Less competition for me."

Akane's glare didn't lessen as she watched Madoka walked away. "She is such a stuck up jerk! Who does she think she is?!"

"She's always been like that." Yui said as she took her now wet shirt off. She reached into her bag and grabbed another shirt for gym. Luckily she always kept a spare in her bag. "Let's just go."

Akane could see Madoka's cruelty was taking its toll on Yui more than she was letting on. But she let it go for now. She couldn't think of anything she could say that would make things better.

However, Yui was excited when she found out what they were doing in gym today. A chance to really let out her frustrations over everything that had been going on today. Dodgeball. And even luckier, Madoka was on the team across from her.

The smug look that Madoka gave her from across the gym floor as both teams took their positions only filled Yui's drive to win even more. The second the teacher called for the game to start, she took off running.

As the game went on, Yui felt more in the zone then she had ever felt before in gym class. She was more of a gamer than an athlete, but right now her body was obeying every command she gave it, almost to the point that she felt like she was in VR. Yui was glad that Akane was on her team because she wasn't sure she'd want her friend to be on the recieving end of the dodgeball buttkicking she was dishing out. Madoka was no slouch though. Despite Yui gunning for her, she hadn't gotten hit once. At the same time though, she hadn't managed to hit Yui with any of the balls she threw. However, the nonstop battle between the two girls had caused plenty of other students to get hit and taken out.

Before long, it was just Yui and Akane on their team. Madoka's team still had herself along with two others.

Akane was sweating, exhausted from giving it her all alongside Yui. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." she said quietly to Yui.

"Keep it together Akane. We can do this." Yui told her.

Madoka smirked at having the number advantage. She had a long list of insults she was dying to use towards the raven haired teen, but she kept her mouth shut to avoid getting yelled at by the teacher watching them. She glanced at one of her teammates. "Throw one directly at Yui. Aim for her face."

"What? But the teacher will-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, just do it." she ordered.

If there was one thing Madoka knew how to do, it was intimidate people. The student nodded their head and threw a ball at Yui along with the other student on the team.

Yui quickly saw the balls coming and dodged to the side at the last second, barely avoiding getting hit. Madoka had seen that coming however and already had a ball mid air with Yui's name on it, thrown with all the force she could muster. It flew directly at the teen, going straight for her face. Yui gasped, knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

"Look out!"

A collective gasp came from Yui and Madoka when Akane came in front of Yui. She brought her hands up to catch the ball, but the speed behind the throw made the ball score a direct hit to her face. But before it could bounce off, Akane's hands grabbed the ball, holding it in her grasp.

"You're out, Madoka." the teacher said.

"What?!" Madoka exclaimed.

"She caught the ball. Plus, going for a player's head is unsportsmanlike conduct. I want to have a word with you after class." the teacher said sternly.

Madoka grumbled in disgust as she walked over to the side and sat down. Yui looked at Akane, noticing a red bruise on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… never better." Akane said, managing a grin.

"You shouldn't have done that. It was way too reckless."

"No way. We're friends, aren't we." Akane told her. "Besides, seeing that look on Madoka's face was SO worth it."

Yui couldn't argue with that. She stepped forward, dodgeball in hand. "Leave the rest to me. I'll finish this."

It didn't take long for Yui to end the game, taking out the remaining two players in relatively short time. Once the game ended, gym period was just about over. Everyone went back to the locker rooms to change back into their regular outfits.

As Yui and Akane finished changing, they crossed paths with Madoka, who had just finished being scolded by her behavior during class. She passed by them, muttering the words "Don't forget, you're still a freak. You'll never be a real human." just barely loud enough for Yui to hear it.

Those words stung Yui hard. But she refused to give Madoka the satisfaction of getting under her skin. She continued to walk away, parting with Akane as they each went to their next class.

Classes continued on for Yui throughout the rest of the day. It was the same in each of them, everybody distancing themselves from her. She still had her friends and others that understood what she was and didn't care. But still, the feeling of so many people acting this way did give her a slight feeling of loneliness.

After school was over, Rin and Lilly said goodbye to Yui and Strea as they left to go pick up Luna from school. The two Kirigaya siblings walked together back home. As they walked through the streets, Yui couldn't help but notice a few people stare at her, no doubt recognizing her from the news coverage.

She was sick of it all. So she was an AI. Big deal. She was still the same person she had always been. She had expected as much to happen, but it still didn't change the fact that she hated this subtle animosity towards her and Luna.

Strea could see the hurt in her sister's eyes. She tried to keep Yui's mind off of it by engaging her in conversation. She was able to talk with her sister, but Strea could tell Yui's mind was still on the people isolating her.

When they got home, Yui and Strea were greeted by their father. "How was school, you two?"

"Fine." Yui grumbled. "I'm going to my room."

Kazuto watched as his eldest daughter went upstairs, clearly depressed. He looked at Strea. "I take it she had a rough day?"

"A bunch of students are acting distant towards her now that they found out she's an AI." Strea explained. "And this one girl's been bullying her all day."

"This sure isn't good." Kazuto said. "Maybe I should call the school."

"No, don't." Strea said with a shake of her head. "I know Yui's having a rough time, but making people act normal towards her by having the school tell them to isn't going to make her feel any better."

Kazuto sighed. "I suppose that's true. But still… I wish there was something I could do."

"I wouldn't worry. Yui will be fine." Strea assured her father.

"UGH!" a shout was heard from upstairs along with a loud bang. "Why are people such IDIOTS?!"

"... Ok, maybe not completely fine." Strea said. "I'll go talk with her."

Kazuto watched Strea go upstairs to Yui's room. He and Asuna had taken care of Yui as her parents for so long, but there were still some things that she would only share with her sister. A different type of bond he supposed. Regardless, as long as she could calm Yui down Kazuto didn't care whether it was him, Asuna, or Strea.

Strea peeked open the door to her sister's room. "Hey sis. You doing alright?"

"What do you think Strea?" Yui asked before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry. I'm just… it's been a long day."

"If you wanna talk, I'm always here for you." Strea offered.

"Thanks Strea, but no." Yui said. "If you're free though, do you mind going on ALO for a bit with me? I think some hunting will help me cool my head a bit."

Strea nodded her head. "Sure thing sis. I'll be right on." With that said, Strea closed the door to her sister's room and went to her own room. She quickly set up her Amu Sphere and fit the device around her head.

"Link Start!"

* * *

Yui logged in at her parent's player home in Coral. She stretched her arms out and equipped her swords, the two blades sheathed at her back. Within seconds after that, Strea's avatar appeared in the room as well.

"So, you ready to go?" Strea asked.

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah. But first let's stop at Arun. I want to restock on some items before we go out into the fields."

"You got it." Strea said.

The two sisters walked out of the house and began to make their way to the town's Teleport Gate. As they started their walk, Yui stopped for a moment. "Do you mind if I do something quick, Strea?"

"Sure. What is it?" the female Gnome asked.

Not giving a verbal response, Yui unsheathed her two swords. She took a stance as her two blades lit up simultaneously. "Raaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Strea watched as Yui unleashed a sword skill from her Dual Skill arsenal. The force behind her swing were so powerful, Strea felt that she could get blown away. The rage and anger behind the sword swings her sister made were unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Phew. Much better." Yui said, sheathing her two swords on her back. "Ok Strea, let's continue."

"Y-Yeah. Sure." Strea nodded. For Yui to use that much power in blowing off some steam, she was really hurting more than she was letting on. Making a mental note to pay close attention to her older sister, Strea followed after Yui.

It didn't take long to arrive at the town's teleportation gate. Yui and Strea both teleported themselves to they arrived, the city was as bustling as ever.

' _This is much better.'_ Yui thought to herself. ' _No one knows my secret in ALO. Finally I can take a break from today and relax.'_

"So where's our first stop?" Strea asked.

"Let's see…" Yui opened her menu and took a look at her item's list. "I need to restock of both mana and health potions. Antidote potions seem to be ok at least."

"Alright then. Central market it is." Strea said. "Let's get going."

As the two sisters began to walk towards their destination, a voice called out to them. "Hey you!"

Yui and Strea both watched as two players came up to them. Yui didn't recognize them. Turning to Strea, she saw her sister shrug, telling her she didn't know them either. "Can we help you?"

"You better believe you can!" one of the two said. "Admit it! You're that AI girl on the news, aren't you?!

The sudden accusation caught both Kirigaya sisters off guard. It had also acquired the attention of several players in the area as they all turned their heads to the conversation going on.

Strea tried to shake away the attention on them. "Wh-What? You're kidding right? What makes you think Yui would be the AI on the news? Just cause they have the same name doesn't mean they're the same person."

"It's more than the name! Someone put all the facts on an ALO forum!" the player opened their menu and showed it, revealing pictures of Yui's real world appearance alongside a picture of her avatar. "You've got the same name and you look almost exactly like her. Pretty big coincidence if you ask me."

Yui widened her eyes. It was true that she had styled her avatar to look similar to her real world appearance. But she hadn't expected anybody to use that as an argument for her being Yui Kirigaya. After all, she had never had such a spotlight on her in the real world until now.

"Look, I get they look alike, but come on. That's a bit of a jump in logic, don't you think?" Strea said, desperate to get these players to leave them alone without revealing that they were actually right. "I mean-"

"We aren't asking you." the other one said. "We're asking _her_." All eyes were on Yui right now. "Well? Are you that AI girl or not?"

Yui wanted to deny it. To just say it wasn't her and have everyone leave her alone. ALO was the one place, the very last place, where nobody saw her as different. But she knew. She knew that if she denied it here, then they all win. The media, the bullies like Madoka, all the people that thought she was more of a freak than a human. They would all win. They would have broken her.

Yui looked the two players with a fierce expression. "And what if I am?"

They both widened their eyes, not expecting Yui to admit it so easily. Even Strea was slightly shocked to hear Yui admit the truth to them.

"If you are, then you owe every player in ALO an apology!" one of them said, pointing an accusing finger.

"What?!" Strea gasped. "What for?!"

"If she's an AI, she must have been able to use that special brain of hers during the fights of the ALO Annual Tournament!" the player said. "She had an unfair advantage over everyone else!"

"Like hell she did!" Strea argued. "Yui won her fights through skill alone!"

"And what good is your word?!" the other player asked. "You're just defending her cause you were on the same team! In fact, your entire team should come forward and apologize for cheating your way through the tournament! If it wasn't for that, teams like ours wouldn't have been kicked out so early!"

Yui and Strea widened their eyes in disbelief. They hadn't been expected to be called cheaters, just because Yui was an AI. Their argument had no merit whatsoever. Yui's brain wasn't one hundred percent exactly like a human's, but it in no way gave her any advantage in everyday life, much less in a fight.

Onlooking players looked at each other. Some whispered amongst themselves, wondering if it was really true. Yui shook in fear. Now even her friends were getting dragged into trouble because of her.

"I…"

"That's enough!" The sudden shout from Strea stunned everyone there as the female Gnome took her sword and stabbed into the ground, creating a large boom that got everyone's attention. "I am so sick of this! All I've been hearing about all day is how Yui is some sort of monster! How she isn't human! I've had to sit and listen to it all day, and I can't take it anymore!" She glared at the two players in front of her, as well as all the players watching. "Yui is my sister! I know her better than anyone, and I can say without a doubt that she's just as human as anyone else I know, if not more so! So if any of you want to call her a freak, then get ready to kiss the ground, cause that's where I'll be smashing your face in!"

Yui widened her eyes at her sister's words. Strea had always been the carefree, happy-go-lucky type for as long as she had known her. Yui had never once seen Strea get this angry in her entire life. "Strea…"

Both of their knees were shaking slightly in fear of Strea, but one of them still pointed a finger at her. "Wh-Whatever! Like we said, the word of someone on her team doesn't mean anything!"

"Is that so? Then how about the word of someone who isn't?"

All heads turned to see a male Salamander standing on top of the roof of one of the buildings. He shot a smirk down at all of the players looking up at him, all of them widening their eyes. The player they were looking at was Wrath of Team Demise, the group that had tried to turn Alfheim into a giant bloody warzone.

"Wh-What the hell do you want?!" one of the two players questioned. "What's a player like you doing, showing your face in general public?!"

Wrath let out a chuckle. "So the chick's an AI. Big deal? I don't see how that has anything to do with her being a better swordswoman." He looked down at the two players. "So why don't you inform us then? Exactly what part of that AI brain of hers makes it so she can fight better than anyone else? Cause last time I checked, the news online was saying how shocking it was that her brain was so close to that of a human's."

"W-Well… umm…"

Wrath raised a brow. "What's this? Don't tell me you were making all these wild accusations without any research? Is it that you're butthurt about losing in the tournament and are trying to blame something other than your lack of skill?" He shook his head. "Oh my apologies, that couldn't be the case. The players of your _mighty_ team would never do something so pathetic and childish. Tell me, how far did you make it in the tournament? First round? Second maybe?"

Every player's focus was now on the two players, who were shrinking back at the collective stares. It was clear that things were not going as they had planned.

"Let me explain something to you gentlemen." Wrath said. "That girl over there beat Lucifer, one of the two people that have beaten me at full power. Now I don't have to like her. But as a player I have to respect her strength, whether she's human, AI, or even an alien from another planet. All I see is a swordswoman, and I have to respect her as a player until she gives me a reason not to."

"That's right! Yui's still the same girl she's always been!" Everyone watched as two new arrivals, Miku and Apollo appeared in the crowd. "She and her team beat us fair and square. It doesn't matter if she's an AI or not, she won because she's a damn good player."

Whispers went amongst the crowd. The fact that players Yui and her friends had beaten were standing up for her made any argument of Yui cheating or being any different from them a lot less convincing. The two accusers began to try and slip away, but as they turned around, they found themselves face to face with Shade.

"And just where do you think your going? Running away after saying all that, just because the tables turned on you?" Shade asked. "Seems you really are all talk."

The two players panicked and quickly flew away with their wings, screaming in fear. Several players that watched clapped their hands, agreeing with Miku and the others.

Yui widened her eyes as she watched this. People were smiling at her. They were actually seeing her as an equal. They were accepting her.

"So what if she's an AI? Yui was awesome in that tournament!"

"I saw all her matches! She was a total badass!"

"I've loved you Yui! I always have!"

The last comment earned a nervous chuckle and blush from Yui, but she was truly grateful for everyone's support. She bowed her head to them. "Thank you everyone. You have no idea what this all means to me."

Players slowly began to disperse, going on to do their business. Miku, Apollo, and shade stayed behind, as well as Wrath who leaped off the building he was standing on and landed near them.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but what exactly are you doing here?" Miku asked Wrath. "And why did you help Yui?"

"I thought all of Team Demise quit ALO after all the backlash they got." Apollo commented.

Wrath shrugged his shoulders. "It's true that most of them left ALO for good. But I was always simply interested in fighting strong players, and this place still has plenty of those." He smirked at the group. "Besides, Lucifer's still here. I can't leave until I've surpassed him at least."

Everyone's eyes widened. "Lucifer's still playing ALO?" Strea asked. "I thought he got more backlash than anyone else on the team."

"Well his plan may have failed, but he's got a new goal of getting revenge on Yui over there." Wrath explained. "He's honing his skills for the next tournament, where he plans to beat her and humiliate her. Though I have no way to tell how that's coming along. The guy's a complete soloer now. He even deleted everyone from his Friend's List."

"What about you? Aren't you after revenge?" Shade asked. "We did pretty much ruin your plans for ALO."

"True, but I can't really complain. The stronger side won, it's as simple as that." he said. "Don't get me wrong though, I do plan on beating you all next time we face off." He turned and walked away, giving them a parting wave of his hand. "Oh and tell that Salamander brawler chick on your team that she better be ready for me too. She's the one I'm REALLY looking forward to a rematch with."

The group watched as Wrath left them. With him gone, they were all alone now.

Tears fell from Yui's eyes. Tears that showed just how happy she felt to have friends like these. People that cared about her this much. "Thank you. You guys really have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Think nothing of it. We're friends, aren't we?" Miku said with a smile. "It doesn't matter to us if you're an AI. We've all known for a long time anyway, remember?" Her eyes glanced at Shade. "Well, most of us at least."

Strea patted her sister's back. "Come on sis, enough with the crying. We're all here for you, no matter what. Remember that."

Yui nodded her head. "I will Strea. Thanks."

* * *

Yui opened her eyes as she logged out of ALO. She had enjoyed some time in the virtual world with her sister. But it was soon time to log off and get ready for dinner. The raven haired girl removed the Amu Sphere from her head and placed it at her bedside.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door to her room. "Yui dear? Can I come in?"

Yui recognized the voice as her mother's. "Yes." she answered.

The door opened as Asuna walked into her daughter's room. She looked at her with a caring expression. "Are you alright sweetie? Your father told me you had a rough day."

Yui nodded her head. "Yeah, I think I'm ok now."

Asuna came and sat down next to Yui on the bed, putting an arm around her daughter. "I know it's hard right now Yui. And I wish I could make this all go away. But I know you can make it through this. You're my daughter after all."

Yui nodded her head and hugged her mother back. "Thanks mom."

"If you ever need to talk, don't be afraid to come see me. I'm here for you anytime you need me, remember that." Asuna told her. She brushed Yui's bangs out of her eyes. "Don't let anyone ever tell you that your inferior Yui. You're special. Something no one else can copy."

A smile came to Yui's lips from her mother's words. "You got it mom."

"That's my girl." Asuna said. She got up from the bed. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I'll call you when it's done."

Yui nodded her head as her mother walked out of her room. She laid down on her bed. Things were going to be a lot different for her now that the world knew she was an AI. It would be the same for Luna. but she knew both of them could make it through this. Because they had friends and family that were always at their side.

And that was something she would always treasure in her heart.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. See you all in a week. And for all of you playing Fatal Bullet, hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.**


	55. Reunion

**A/N: Oh boy it has been a fun week of playing Fatal Bullet. This game is such a blast! Anyway, this chapter will hint at an upcoming arc inspired by thewookie1. The rest of this chapter will also feature some older characters so hope you enjoy seeing them.**

It was a bright sunny day, and the clear skies provided a calming presence to Japan. Alicia drove in her car, enjoying the nice weather. Being a writer along with a stay-at-home mom, Alicia rarely got out of the house outside of interviewing subjects for her novels. But she had suddenly gotten a phone call the other day, and what she had been told interested her quite a lot.

Finally, Alicia arrived at her destination as she pulled her car to a stop. She got out of her car and looked at the house in front of her. Taking a second look at the address to make sure she had the right place, Alicia walked up to the front door.

Not long after Alicia knocked on the door, the door opened, revealing a man that seemed to be in his 50s. He had black hair with small hints of grey that showed his age.

"Hello." Alicia greeted with a polite bow. "Is this where Mr. Shinito lives?"

"Ah, Ms. Hiryo. Yes, I'm the man you talked with on the phone." he said with a nod. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." Alicia said as she walked inside the house.

The man led her into the living room and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch. "I'll go get some refreshments. What kind of tea do you like?"

"Green is fine, please." Alicia told him.

The man left for the kitchen, soon returning with a cup of tea for each of them. Alicia took the cup and sipped her tea. "So, you said you wished to talk with me about what I know about SAO and the people there. Something about a project involving AIs?"

He nodded his head. "Yes. I figured it would be best to go to someone who is knowledgeable about these things, and you seemed like the best choice Ms. Hiryo."

"Please, call me Alicia."

He nodded understandingly. "Very well then. Alicia. You may call me Yuugo then. As I said when I called you, I am currently working on a project involving both AI and the SAO Incident."

"Yes, you told me as much." Alicia said. "Could you please go into more detail about this project of yours?"

"Of course." he nodded. "You see… I used to work for Argus, the company that developed SAO." Alicia widened her eyes at this. "As I'm sure you know, the company went bankrupt not long after the SAO incident started. I was put out of a job as a result. But now I work for another company that does research with virtual technology. Anyway, I went back to the original building for Argus roughly six months ago for some notes to help with something I was working on. And while I was there, I found a secret door to an underground facility. In there, I stumbled upon something extraordinary."

Alicia narrowed her eyes with her interest piqued. "And that is?"

"A large server computer containing data on the avatars of every person that logged into SAO, and an basis for AI copies of their avatars."

Alicia widened her eyes at this. "Are you serious?!"

Yuugo nodded his head. "It was a surprise for me too. It had info on their name, appearance, level, stats, equipment, everything you could think of up to either the point of their death or when SAO was cleared. I believe it was some sort of backup made by Kayaba that was never discovered until that point."

It was frankly hard to believe. But there was one thing that was gnawing at Alicia's mind. "So why do you need my help? And why wait six months at that?"

"Ah, a good question." he said. "You see, although I didn't know that SAO would turn into a death game, I still feel guilty over the horrors it brought. So I wanted to do something to help honor the ten thousand poor souls that were trapped in SAO. So I managed to help convince my boss at the company I work for now to create a virtual museum, if you will."

"A museum?"

"In a sense, yes. You see, the data of Aincrad's map is already available in the form of New Aincrad in the VRMMO Alfheim Online. So using that map data, and the avatar data I stumbled upon, I wanted to create an exact recreation of SAO's Aincrad and all of the players that were in it for those two years. People would be able to log in and explore Aincrad, meet the players that were there, and see for themselves what it was like. I feel it would allow them to appreciate what those players went through more with this."

"But I still don't see why you need my help with this." Alicia said.

"Well you see, although I have the physical data of the player avatars, I don't know their personalities. Their quirks, their attitude towards certain things, etcetera. The AI data does included what they did during their time in SAO, but I have no way to determine the accuracy of it. And that's where you come in.

"So you want me to try and describe the personalities of some of the players so you can confirm if the data is true." Alicia realized.

"Precisely." he nodded. "You see, in addition to the virtual world for people to explore, I also plan to have a special database for people to access, showing off the history of those who were trapped in Sword Art Online. The SAO servers have data on how long each player lived, if they ended up dying in the game. And there's been lots of works done since the end of the incident where I have the history of many of the more well-known players and even a few less-known ones. But their personalities are the one thing I don't know for sure. Of course, it's impossible to find those that knew each and every player in SAO. But if I can confirm a handful of them are true, it should make for a good assumption that the rest are true too."

Alicia thought to herself. It truly did sound like an amazing project, and a good way to honor those who were trapped in SAO. In addition, she had met a lot of former players during her time writing her novels about people's experiences in SAO. There were four thousand who died in SAO. While there were ways in which those dead players were remembered, this would be something revolutionary.

"I'll do it." Alicia said. "If this will further help people understand things from the perspective of the SAO players, I'll try my best to help."

"Thank you. I truly appreciate this." he said with a smile. "If you want, we can get started right away. I have some notes on data for certain players here with me now."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't stay for that long." Alicia told him. "I have somewhere I need to be soon. Do you mind if we continue this another time?"

"Yes, of course. Please feel free to message me about when would be a good time to meet up."

"Thank you, I will." Alicia said as she stood up from the couch. "I look forward for meeting you again."

"Please, the pleasure was all mine." he said.

Alicia left the house and drove off in her car. Throughout her entire ride back home, she kept thinking about the project Yuugo Shinito was creating. It truly was an amazing idea. And she couldn't wait to get started on it.

When Alicia returned home, it was already time for Rin, Lilly, and Luna to be home from school. As she walked through the front door, she was greeted by her youngest daughter.

"Hi Mama. Welcome home."

"Hello Luna." Alicia said with a warm smile. "Did you have fun at school today?"

"Mhm." Luna nodded.

Alicia looked around, not seeing Rin or Lilly anywhere. "Where are your sisters?"

"They're upstairs doing homework." Luna answered. "Do you want me to get them?"

"No, let them do their homework." Alicia told her. "Speaking of which, have you finished yours?"

Luna nodded her head. "Yup. I finished it right before you came home Mama."

"Good girl." Alicia said, patting Luna on the head. "You'll be sure to behave and listen to your sisters tonight while your Papa and I are away, right?"

"Of course Mama."

Tonight was a big night for Alicia and Dan, as well as many other SAO Survivors. It was the night of the school reunion for the SAO Survivor's School. Since the class size was much smaller than usual for most schools, the reunion was going to be held with all the former students of the institution, rather than class years. It was a good chance to meet some old friends and catch up with people they hadn't seen in a long time.

Another half hour passed before Dan arrived home from work. He quickly got ready for the school reunion, while Alicia waited for him, already dressed in a formal outfit.

"Alright girls, we're leaving." Dan said as he finally finished getting changed.

"Bye mom. Bye dad." Rin said.

"Have fun." Lilly added.

Alicia hugged her daughter's goodbye. "I have dinner in the fridge, you just need to heat it up in the microwave. And if anything happens, you can just call us."

"Got it."

"Is there anything else you need?" Alicia asked.

"Mom relax. We'll be fine." Lilly assured her.

"Alright then. We'll be home around 11. Be good." Alicia said. She walked out of the house with her husband and got into Dan's car.

Driving off, Alicia and Dan talked about people they were looking forward to seeing again. It had been awhile since they had met some of their friends from their high school days. They wondered what had changed with some of them.

When the married couple finally arrived at the old building that had once been the SAO Survivor's School, they noticed plenty of people were already there. It had been over a decade since they had walked through the halls of the school they had attended after the end of SAO.

Dan and Alicia walked into the gymnasium together. Several people were already sitting at tables and chatting away. As they looked around, Alicia noticed an old friend waving over to her.

"Alicia!"

Alicia waved over to the blonde woman calling over to her. "Hikari! Long time no see!"

The two friends ran up to each other and hugged. It was a bit strange to see the two girls that had once been at bitter enemies were now close friends.

"So how is Dan doing?"

"Just fine, thank you very much." Dan said as he walked up. "I did come with her here you know."

"Good to see you, Dan." Hikari said with a smile. "I bet Satoshi's going to be excited to see you again. Ugh, where is that dolt of a husband of mine?" She spotted the black haired man over by the punch bowl. "Hey! Honey! Get over here!"

Satoshi saw his wife waving over to him and quickly hurried over. "Hello Dan. Alicia. It certainly has been awhile."

"It sure has." Dan nodded. "So what's new with you two?"

Hikari nudged her husband with a grin. "Well Satoshi here is a live performer. He plays a samurai in this play they do in Kyoto. So he's still keeping up with the whole feudal era act."

"Honey, come on. It's not like I act like that at home." Satoshi said with a slight blush on his face.

Dan let out a chuckle. "Never thought I'd see you of all people get embarrassed Satoshi." In his entire time knowing him as the masked samurai of SAO Yaksha, he had always shown off a cool and composed personality. A lot seemed to have changed since high school.

"What about you two?" Hikari asked. "I heard the two of you are parents to an AI now?"

"Yes, Luna. It's a bit of a long story." Alicia said. "You remember the little girl from that event back in ALO? The one with the giant snake in Arun."

"I thought that name sounded familiar." Hikari said. "Well I won't ask for details. How about Rin and Lilly? How are they with her?"

"They adore her. Luna's become a full member of the family." Alicia said with a smile. "What about you two? Did Kenta ever get any siblings?"

Hikari shook her head. "No, one pregnancy was enough for me. He really takes after Satoshi though."

"I don't think we've seen Kenta since he was a baby." Alicia said. "We should really get together sometime. Maybe the kids could become friends."

"That'd be nice." Hikari smiled.

"Dan! Alicia! What's up?!" Everyone turned to see Hyde and Lilina come in. They walked right over to their friends. "Hikari and Satoshi are here too, that's great."

"It's been awhile, Lilina." Hikari greeted. She glanced over at Hyde. "I hope your husband's had his attitude changed since high school."

"Oh hah hah." Hyde remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"You can't exactly blame her, Hyde." Lilina reminded him. "There's gonna be a lot of people on edge around you tonight. Try and show them that you've matured at least a little."

"Fat chance of that happening." a new voice said. The group saw Rika and Yuya walk over. "Not much has changed with that oaf."

"What was that?" Hyde asked with a glare.

Alicia let out a sigh. "Can you two try and act nice towards each other for just one night?"

"I think there's a better chance of Sayaka and Naoki becoming a couple."

"Ha! As if my boy would fall for a simple girl like that." Hyde said. "He would only pick the finest of women to be his true love."

"Oh please! If anything, Sayaka wouldn't want to be with an idiotic buffoon like Naoki!" Rika argued.

"That's enough, both of you!" Lilina said, grabbing both Rika and Hyde by the ear. "Hyde, Sayaka is Naoki's friend and you shouldn't insult her just because you don't like her mother. And you Rika, I don't want to hear you calling my son a buffoon again. Is that clear?"

Both Hyde and Rika nodded at the red haired mother, terrified of her. As Lilina let them both go, a new arrival walked over to everyone.

"Hey guys." Emi greeted. She walked alongside her husband Akira. "I see just about everyone's here."

"Keiko and Ishida are still missing, along with Kazuto and Asuna." Alicia noted. Her eyes caught sight of a new couple arriving. "Oh wait, make that just Kazuto and Asuna."

Keiko and her husband Ishida made their way over to their friends. "Hey everyone. Long time no see." Keiko greeted. "We would have been here sooner, but I had to drop Maki off at my parents."

"Good to see you too Keiko." Rika said. "How is the little tyke doing anyway?"

"Just wait, I have a picture you'll all love of her." Keiko quickly brought out her phone and showed her friends the picture she was referring to of her daughter Maki. The young seven year old girl was curled up with the dog Keiko and Ishida owned, fast asleep.

"Awwwww!" several of the girls quickly said, cooing at the adorable sight.

The girls all quickly got together and chatted, catching up over the time that had passed since they had all seen each other. Coming in through the entrance to the gymnasium, Dan noticed another couple come in. Marcus and Sarah.

Marcus and Sarah quickly spotted their old friends from high school. "Hey everyone. It's been awhile." Marcus greeted.

"Sorry we're late. I was late coming home from my shift at the hospital." Sarah explained.

"All that matters is that you made it." Dan said.

"Hey look at that. The Daughter of Darkness and Arctic Swordsman are finally here." Lilina said. "Come on Sarah. Get in on this girl pow wow."

Sarah didn't need any convincing as she walked over and joined the other girls. Meanwhile, Dan and Marcus got together with the guys of the group and talked about various things.

Another half hour passed by before the sudden sound of cheers and applause was heard throughout the room. Dan and the others all turned to see Kazuto and Asuna walk in. A slight hint of embarrassment could be seen on their faces from all the attention on them.

"The Black Swordsman's still treating you right I hope, Lightning Flash!"

Kazuto groaned while Asuna let out a small giggle. They quickly spotted their friends and took a seat at the table everyone was at.

"Some things never change. You two are still the stars of the show as always." Emi commented.

"I wish they'd let that go. It's been decades since SAO. We aren't anything special compared to everyone else now." Kazuto said.

"Well everyone here does owe a lot to you two for clearing SAO as early as you did. It's only natural they'd see you as special." Keiko told him.

Suddenly, the sound of music began to play. Everyone recognized it as a slow song from the beginning melody. Quickly the area set aside for the dance floor became filled with couples. Many married couples from their own group went to the dance floor as well.

It had been a long time since they had all been able to get together for an occasion like this. It had been commonplace when they had each gotten married, but that had been a long time ago. Which was why this night was so special for all of them.

When the slow dances finally breaked for a bit, everyone went back to their tables. Rika decided to change the topic of conversation. "So what is the latest story that our novelist friend is writing?" she asked Alicia. All heads turned to the black haired woman in curiosity to her answer.

"Actually, I just got asked to help on a really interesting project." Alicia explained. "Someone is trying to recreate a replica of Aincrad, and they have AI data on all of the players from the game."

Everyone's eyes widened at this. "Seriously?! Is that actually possible?" Keiko asked.

"Seems like it. So they want me to check and see if some of their AI's match the personality of the players they're based off of. They plan to create a sort of museum where people can experience what it was like for those of us trapped in SAO."

"That certainly sounds interesting." Lilina commented.

"Did he say exactly how he got ahold of AI data for all the players?" Kazuto asked.

"Apparently it was in a computer in a hidden room in the old Argus building." Alicia explained. "No one ever discovered the room until six months ago."

"Hmm…" Kazuto thought to himself.

"Is something wrong Kazuto?" Asuna asked.

"Maybe." he said. "I don't know. It's just-"

"Well looks like the gang's all here." a voice spoke up. Alicia felt like it sounded familiar, but couldn't place from where. As she turned to see who it was, it took her a moment to realize who it was. A low groan escaped from her as the realization struck her.

"Naruki…" Emi said with a small glare. "I'm surprised you had the nerve to come here."

It took some of the others a moment to place the person, but they soon realized it. Naruki, or Noboru as he was known in SAO, had been the one who abandoned Alicia and her friends, causing two of Alicia's childhood friends to get killed.

"Nice to see you too." Naruki commented sarcastically. "It certainly has been a while, hasn't it?"

"You mean since you tried to frame me and Kazuto for manslaughter and you got sent to prison?" Dan countered.

Naruki shot a small glare at Dan. "Yes, that. And I can assure you my time in there was an absolute hell."

"Good. You deserved it." Alicia said. "Now get lost."

"Oh Alicia, why must you be so cold?" he asked. "Are you still mad about Kouta and Otoha?"

"No Naruki. I'm _just peachy_ over the fact that you got two of our friends killed and never once showed any real remorse for it." Alicia said, her tone drenched in sarcasm. "Now unless you want to give an actual apology, I suggest you leave."

"Aw come on now. It's been so long since we last had the chance to catch up." Naruki said with a sneer. "I hear your a big time writer these days. And the news even talks about you being a mother to some AI kid too, isn't that right?"

"Yes, that's right." Alicia said, still not turning to face Naruki.

"Funny thing about having so much attention on you. It allows others to learn a lot about you." Naruki took notice of the slight shift in Alicia's body at hearing that. "Such as where you live. Or other things, like those cute little girls you have."

"... What are you getting at?" Alicia asked with a low growl. Dan also wasn't liking where this was going as he glared at Naruki.

"I'm just saying, you should be careful. There are some dangerous people out in the world Alicia. Some with lots of experience in prison-"

"Oh I'm sure you got _plenty_ of experience in prison." Hyde remarked with a smirk. "Tell me, how many times did you drop the soap?"

Hyde's comment clearly got to Naruki if his expression was anything to go by. But he quickly focussed back on Alicia. "You should be careful Alicia. You never know if-"

Alicia cut him off as she stabbed the heel of her shoe into Naruki's foot, making him wince in pain. She looked at him with a furious glare. "I'm only going to say this once, so you better listen good you asshole. If you EVER come near my family, especially my kids, I will make you beg to be thrown in prison again just to keep me away from you. If there is anyone that should be careful about what they do, it's you. Do I make myself clear?"

Naruki would have loved to attack Alicia right then and there, but there was everyone else to deal with as well. Not to mention the crowd of onlookers. "You just watch your back." he said as he walked away.

Once Naruki was far enough away, Lilina put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You alright Alicia?"

Alicia nodded her head. "Yeah. I just can't help but worry about Rin, Lilly, and Luna after hearing that though."

"Don't worry. I doubt he's actually stupid enough to try anything that dumb." Asuna assured her friend. "Plus Rin and Lilly are big girls. I'm sure they can handle themselves. And Luna's never alone anyway."

Alicia let out a sigh. "I hope so. I never want to have to see that jerk ever again."

"Trust me, if he does, I'll put him through even more hell than you will." Dan told his wife. "No one hurts our kids and gets away with it."

All of their friends nodded in agreement. Sarah broke them out of the serious tone. "Alright, enough with this whole depressing vibe. Tonight's a night for celebration. So let's all have some fun."

Alicia managed a small smile as she nodded her head. "Yeah."

The night continued as everyone enjoyed themselves. It took a bit, but Alicia was able to get her mind off of Naruki and the things he said. He usually was the type that was more bark than bite anyway.

As they all continued to talk, Emi's eyes caught sight of someone in the distance. "Is that…? No way…"

"What is it Emi?" Asuna asked.

"Well I could be wrong…" Emi said. "But doesn't that woman over there look familiar."

Everyone looked over at the table Emi was referring to. It took them a moment but they saw the person she was talking about. Kaia Minazuki.

Lilina narrowed her eyes into a short glare. "I swear if that woman tries to-"

"No Lilina, look." Emi pointed out. "Doesn't that guy next to her seem like he's with her?"

Now that she mentioned it, there was a man sitting next to Kaia did seem like he came with her. And the way they were acting made them seem like a married couple.

"So Kaia actually got married?" Asuna said in mild surprise as she and the others stopped looking at Kai and all faced each other. "Seems like she finally got over Hyde."

"It's about time." Lilina said. "I thought I was going to murder her when she tried to crash our wedding."

"Well I'm happy for her." Keiko said. "I know she gave Lilina… trouble sometimes, but she deserves to be happy."

As the group talked amongst themselves, Kaia spared a small glance towards their table. She let out a small sigh as she saw Hyde. Even to this day, there was a part of her that loved him. But she was married now, and felt plenty of love towards her husband. She had to let go eventually.

* * *

"Alright Luna, time for bed." Lilly said.

Luna showed a pout as she heard this. "Aww, but I wanted to play some more!"

"Sorry Luna, but its past your bedtime." Rin told her.

"No fair." Luna said. "You and Lilly get to stay up."

"You can stay up later like us when you're older." Lilly said. "But you're still little, and that means you have to go to bed earlier. Mom told us to get you into bed by 9:00."

"But Mama's not home yet." Luna argued. "I wanted to see Mama and Papa when they come home."

"We'll tell them you said you hope they had fun Luna." Lilly said.

"... Can I at least get a bedtime story?" Luna asked.

Rin looked towards Lilly, who let out a small sigh. "Alright Luna. I'll tell you a story, but after that it's bedtime. Promise?"

Luna eagerly nodded her head and went upstairs. Rin and Lilly both let out an exhausted sigh. "She can be a real handful when mom's not here." Rin said.

"It's not easy saying no to her." Lilly added. "Especially when she brings out those puppy dog eyes."

"Lilly! Come on, I wanna hear an exciting story!" Luna called from upstairs.

"Coming!" Lilly called back. She honestly didn't know how her mother did it sometimes, raising three kids. Just dealing with Luna for one night had taken its toll on her and Rin.

"Better get going Shakespeare." Rin said as she nudged her sister.

"Shakespeare?"

"Yeah. He was some sort of novelist in the past wasn't he?" Rin questioned.

"He wrote plays, not novels." Lilly told her sister.

"Even better. You can tell one of his stories to Luna."

Lilly narrowed her eyes. "You do realize the main characters always die at the end of his stories right?"

Rin let out a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. "Ok, maybe I should pay more attention in reading class. But anyway, you've still got a story to tell."

Lilly let out a sigh. Sometimes she wasn't sure if it was more exhausting dealing with Luna or dealing with Rin. She walked upstairs to go and tell Luna her bedtime story.

* * *

Alicia looked at herself in the mirror as she freshened up in the women's restroom. It had be quite an enjoyable night so far, all things considered. It was nice to see everyone again after so long. Some of her friends here she hadn't seen in years. Hearing about what they had been up to and what their lives were like now was so much fun.

' _Now that I think about it, this is also a good opportunity to ask some of the people here if they'd like to be featured in my next novel.'_ Alicia thought to herself. ' _But I can only write about so many. Who to pick…'_

As Alicia thought to herself, she heard the door to the restroom open. She figured it was another one of the old female students that had too much punch and continued to freshen up, but as she did something felt off. She sensed a murderous intent, much like when she sensed the presence of a red player in SAO.

Glancing to her side, Alicia saw who it was and gasped when she saw Naruki holding a knife, most likely one that he had gotten from one of the tables.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Alicia asked, though she wasn't sure she was going to like the answer.

Naruki chuckled to himself. "Do you have any idea what those two years were like for me in prison? I was treated like garbage, beaten to a pulp on a daily basis. And it's all your fault! You and that goddamn husband of yours!"

"You brought that on yourself. You tried to frame Dan and Kazuto, not to mention assaulting me." Alicia said.

"And when I got out, my life was worse than ever before. My parents looked at my like I was some kind of crazy person. I had a criminal record, so any kind of professional job was out of the question for me. Do you have ANY idea what my life has been like because of you?!"

"Naruki, I'm warning you." Alicia said "Walk. Away."

"Save it! I don't want to hear any of that crap from you!" Naruki yelled at her. "You keep saying everything is my fault! That's what everyone keeps saying! But YOU Alicia! You refuse to take any responsibility for ruining my life!" He pointed the knife he was holding at her. "Well it's time you paid up. And you'll be paying in blood."

Alicia quickly sidestepped to avoid the thrust that came from Naruki's knife. She made a beeline for the door to try and get help, but Naruki grabbed her hair, causing a yelp of pain from to escape from her. Naruki brought his knife around to try and slit her throat, but Alicia quickly ducked under. Naruki's weapon missed and only cut a bit of Alicia's hair instead, but he still had a grip on her. Alicia thought fast and forced her body back, slamming Naruki into the wall and forcing him to release his grip on her hair.

As Alicia rushed for the door, Naruki lunged at her, managing to grab the end of the dress she was wearing. Alicia tripped and fell over, hitting the cold hard ground before Naruki got on top of her.

"Help! Somebo- Mmph!" Alicia was cut off as Naruki covered her mouth with his hand.

"Finally I'm going to have my revenge. You have no idea how long I've waited for this day, Alicia." Naruki said with a smirk. "Look at the bright side though. You wanted to protect your kids, right? Your suffering here is sparing them from the same fate." He readied his knife. "This is payback you bitch!"

"Alicia!"

Naruki was so focussed on Alicia that he didn't even notice the new arrival until their foot slammed into his face. He tumbled off of Alicia and saw the new arrival.

Alicia looked up and saw who had just saved her. "Sarah?"

The blonde woman glared at Naruki. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Stay out of this, you bitch." Naruki said. "This has nothing to do with you."

Sarah's glare only intensified. "You know back in SAO, I used to be a bounty hunter before I met Marcus." she said. "I met all kinds of bastards, creeps, and lowlifes. And not a single one of them were ever as pathetic looking as you."

"So you wanna die too then? Fine!" Naruki said. He roared in anger as he lunged at the woman.

Sarah stood in front of Alicia and grabbed the knife Naruki was holding. She forced him back, pinning him against the wall as she struggled to get the knife out of his hand.

Alicia got to her feet and saw her friend struggling with Naruki. She ran forward. "Sarah, move!"

Sarah did as Alicia said and moved out of the way just in time for Alicia to deliver a vicious punch to Naruki's gut. The air rushed out of his lungs as he fell to his knees and the knife fell out of his grasp. Sarah kicked the knife away, the utensil turned weapon sliding to the other side of the room.

"Alicia! Sarah!" Lilina's voice was heard as she and Asuna came into the room. They all gasped at the sight they saw.

Naruki held his stomach in pain, but looked up to see Alicia and the other girls glaring down at him. It was clear he was not getting out of this scot free.

"I'll call the cops." Sarah said as she brought out her phone.

"What should we do with him until they get here?" Asuna asked.

Alicia answered with a crack of her knuckles. "I've got a few ideas in mind."

A small crowd was gathered outside the women's restroom due to the comotion. Dan was at the front of the crowd after he had heard that a cry for help had come from his wife. "Alicia, are you okay?!"

The next thing everyone heard was the loud cries of pain that came from a male sounding voice. Everyone stood outside on edge, not sure if they wanted to know what was going on behind that door. The cries of pain continued for the next minute or so before the door opened. Alicia exited the restroom, dragging an unconscious Naruki by the back of his shirt. She let go of him and his slumping body collapsed onto the floor.

"Try anything like this again and you'll be in for a much bigger world of hurt than this." Alicia muttered to him.

Dan quickly ran up to his wife. "Alicia, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Alicia shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Sarah came before he could seriously hurt me." She glanced down at Naruki. "If there's anyone's well being you should worry about, it's his."

It didn't take long for the police to arrive after Sarah called them. Once the situation was explained to them, they arrested Naruki and took him away.

Alicia let out a sigh and shook her head. "He never learns. Hopefully, this'll be good enough for him to be locked away for a long time."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Dan asked, still worried about his wife.

Alicia showed him a reassuring smile. "Dan, come on. You didn't marry a wimp. I'm fine, I swear. If anything, I'm just embarrassed Sarah had to come to my rescue."

"Well it IS pretty tough to fight in a dress." Sarah pointed out. "They make it look so easy in the movies, but it's really a lot harder than you'd think. I'm just glad I was nearby and heard you."

"Alright then." Asuna said. "With that out of the way, what do you say we all get back to the party?"

No one could argue with that so everyone went back to the gymnasium together and continued their night of fun.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Dan and Alicia finally arrived home. They quietly entered the house, knowing their three daughters were almost definitely asleep by now. They both went upstairs. Dan walked into their room to get ready for bed. Alicia joined him after quickly checking on Rin, Lilly, and Luna.

"How are they?" Dan asked.

"Fast asleep." Alicia said. She breathed out a sigh as she sat on the bed. "Tonight certainly was… eventful."

"I'm just glad your safe." Dan told her as he pulled her in close and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Alicia's lips formed a small frown. "I can live with myself being put in danger. But if Rin, Lilly, or Luna got hurt because of our past… I'd never forgive myself."

"Shhh, it's alright." Dan assured her. "They're fine. We're fine. I know we've had to deal with some dangerous situations because of SAO, but we've fought through them all. And even if something were to come up again, we'd do the same thing we always do."

Alicia rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "We'll protect them together. No matter what."

"Exactly." Dan nodded. "Now let's go to bed. It's pretty late."

Alicia nodded her head in agreement as they both got ready for bed. They closed their eyes as they laid next to each other and drifted off to sleep.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the school reunion. There's still a bit of a wait until the next arc starts but I'm sure it'll be one you all enjoy as I have many surprises in store for you all.**

 **On another note, I might be going back to a once every other week update for this fic starting now. It's not confirmed yet, but with everything going on the possibility us pretty high.**


	56. Twin Jewels

**A/N: Hey readers. Hope you're all well. As I said at the end of last chapter, I'm going to be changing the update schedule of this fic to once every other week. I feel this will work well for me with how my school work is. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

"Hiyah!" Luna yelled as she slashed her sword through the wyvern she was fighting in the air. The dark blue lizard was the only monster left out of the mob that had spawned, and Luna nearly had it finished off.

The wyvern roared as it lunged at Luna, who swiftly dodged with a midair roll. It chased after Luna as she flew through the air. Acting quickly, Luna let the monster catch up to her, only to dodge the incoming bite from its fangs and get behind it.

"Take this!" Luna's blade lit up as she thrusted her sword forward, activating the sword skill Vorpal Strike. Her blade pierced through the monster's body, taking out the rest of its HP. As the monster shattered into fragments, Luna cheered and did a fist pump in the air. "Yay! I did it!"

"Nice job Luna!" Lilly called out from the ground below, where she and Rin had been watching.

A prideful grin was painted on Luna's face as she flew down to her sisters. "Rin, Lilly, did you see me?! Wasn't I amazing?!"

"Totally." Rin said with a nod. "You're really getting the hang of using that sword."

It had been a few months since Luna had made her ALO account and started playing the game. In that time, she had managed to upgrade her equipment quite a bit from the basic starter set she had gotten when she began. She wore a violet shirt with a dark grey breastplate and a black miniskirt at the waist under a violet and black coat on her upper body. Grey leggings covered her legs and black boots were worn on her feet. Her sword which she kept sheathed on her back was thin but light, perfect for someone focussing on speed. It had a violet leather grip and a blade that gave her pretty good reach. Her agility had also improved quite a bit, incorporating the quick slashing style her father had used during his younger days.

"You've been fighting a lot today." Lilly said. "You want to take a break, Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "No way. I can keep going. I've got a lot of catching up to do to get my skills leveled up to the same as everyone else's."

"Enthusiasm is good and all Luna, but you need to remember to pace yourself." Lilly reminded her. "Perhaps we could do something else besides farming mobs for a change of pace."

"How about a quest then?" Rin suggested. "We should be able to find something relatively easy for us to do."

"Sure." Luna nodded. "Let's find a good one."

"Alright then. Let's go to Arun and check the Quest Board." Lilly said.

The sister trio all left the fields and made their way back to the capital city of Arun. Once they were there, they made their way to the Quest Board in the city. It rarely had any overly impressive quests, but there were sometimes ones that had an interesting reward or two.

Rin read the list of quests. "Let's see here… fetch quests. Boring. Escort quests. Tiresome."

"There's a few ones telling us to hunt down some kind of boss monster. That might be fun." Lilly said.

"Maybe…" Rin said. As the female Salamander thought to herself, a notification window popped up in front of her. "Huh? A message?"

"Who's it from?" Lilly asked curiously.

"It says it's from… Shade?!"

"Shade?" Lilly asked as her ears perked with interest. A grin was painted on her face as she looked at her older sister. "My, my, have you two been meeting in secret?"

Rin rolled her eyes. "Lilly, come on. You know it's not like that. Heck, I've rarely even gotten a message from the guy since I friended him." She opened the message and read what it said. "Hmm… seems he wants to see if we can help him get through a dungeon."

"That sounds like a good idea for an adventure." Lilly said. "We'll probably get some better rewards than some simple quest here if we can get through the whole thing."

"Yeah! Shade's super strong! The four of us can clear a dungeon no problem!" Luna said energetically.

"Alright then. I'll message him back." Rin said as she began typing a reply.

As Rin typed away, Luna whispered into Lilly's ear. "Why did you think Rin and Shade were meeting in secret?"

"Well you see Luna, Rin has a bit of a thing for-"

"Lilly." Rin said, cutting her sister off. "Stop filling Luna's head with weird ideas. Ever heard of the phrase "curiosity killed the Cait Sith"?"

"Pretty sure that's not how it goes, but I get it." Lilly said with a giggle.

After responding to Shade's message, the Hiryo girls met up with him in the Spriggan capital. They found him near the teleport gate of the city, waiting for them.

As they walked up to Shade, the Spriggan eyed Luna curiously. "Who's the kid? She seems familiar."

"It's me. Luna." Luna explained with a smile. "I used to be a nav-"

"Sh-She means to say she's our sister." Rin explained. "She's still little so our parents only recently started letting her play VRMMOs. We're helping her level up her skills for now."

Lilly nodded her head nervously. "Y-Yeah. She's still new but she can hold her own in a fight, trust us." They considered Shade a friend but telling them who Luna was could risk Shade finding out about their real world identities, which was something they would rather avoid.

Shade seemed suspicious at Rin suddenly cutting off Luna, but shrugged it off. "Fine then. As long as she won't hold us back too much then I guess it's fine if she comes along too."

"So where exactly is this dungeon?" Lilly asked.

"Not too far from the capital. The dungeon apparently has some rare treasures at the end but there's a weird requirement that only a party of two or more can go in. It can't be soloed."

"That certainly _is_ weird." Rin said.

"There's probably some kind of puzzles that require more than one person." Lilly suggested. "I guess we'll find out when we get inside."

Shade nodded his head. "Well then we better get going."

Shade went on ahead with Lilly right next to him. Luna looked up at Rin. "Why did you lie to Shade about my past? He's a friend, right? Can't we trust him?"

"It's not that we're afraid he'll think less of you Luna." Rin explained. "When the media found out about you, they also leaked out the fact of who we were too. If Shade found out who you were IRL, he'd realize who we were too. This is still VR so it's best to try and avoid letting people find out who you are in real life here."

"I think I understand." Luna said. "I still don't like lying to friends."

Rin let out a small sigh. Bless her little sister and her innocence. "I know Luna, but this is what we need to do. VR is the one place people don't know who you are."

"Hey, hurry up you two!" Lilly said. "We'll leave you behind at this rate!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming." Rin said as she and Luna ran on to catch up.

* * *

The skeleton knight let out a chilly cackle as it swung its sword down. Shade swung his katana up, parrying the attack with little difficulty. He then leaped back and switched in with Rin, who sent a powerful punch to the monster and sent it flying.

The monster hit the wall and its health fell into the red. As it stood back up, it was greeted by the shining light from Luna's sword. The young girl delivered four speedy slashes with the sword skill Vertical Square. The skeleton let out a cry of pain before shattering apart.

"Nice one Luna!" Rin said as she ran up to her sister and gave her a high five. "That was awesome!"

Luna giggled happily. "Thanks Rin."

"So am I the only one finding this dungeon weird?" Lilly asked as she walked up. Being the only mage in the group, her role for the day was support, even though she was only mediocre at it. "It sets up a requirement for multiple people, but the difficulty hasn't been all that hard compared to most dungeons I've seen."

No one really had an answer for the Cait Sith. It certainly was a weird requirement for a dungeon like this. All they could do was press on.

After another few minutes of walking, the party of four arrived in a large open room. The each had their weapons drawn, expecting a boss fight. But to their surprise, nothing appeared. Even after they got to the center of the room, there was no sign of any monster or boss.

Looking around the room, Lilly caught sight of two pedestals to their left and right. The one at the left had a red orb on it, while the one at the right had a blue one. "Maybe we have to interact with those."

Shade walked over to the red orb on the left and touched it. Upon his touch, the orb began to glow. "It looks like they react when we touch them."

Luna curiously walked over to the other orb and touched it as well. Once she did, the orb glowed as well. However, at the same time, the orb by Shade lost its glow.

"So it's some kind of puzzle, huh?" Rin said. "When we touch an orb, it lights up, but the other one dims down."

"Two orbs… That's it!" Lilly realized.

"What? Did you figure out something?" Rin asked.

"The dungeon's special rule. This is what it's for." Lilly explained. "We need to touch both orbs at the exact same time. If we do that, they might both light up and we can move on."

"I see… That might just work." Rin said.

Lilly walked over to the orb Luna was standing at. She held her hand right by the orb. "Ok, we'll do it on my signal."

"Ready whenever you are." Shade said by his orb where he and Rin stood.

"Ok then. 3… 2… 1… Now!"

Lilly and Shade both touched the orbs simultaneously. Lilly's theory was proven correct as both orbs lit up from having been touched at the same time instead of separately.

"It worked! Nice job Lilly!" Rin cheered.

Their merriment did not last long however as the room suddenly began shaking. Out of nowhere, a wall dropped down the center of the room, cutting Rin and Shade off from Lilly and Luna.

"Rin!"

"Lilly! Luna!"

Those shouts were all that was heard before the wall hit the ground. Lilly and Luna couldn't hear anything from the other side. Before they could attempt to shout out to their sister and Shade, the floor beneath them gave way and they fell down. Both Lilly and Luna screamed in terror as they plummeted down with no bottom in sight.

* * *

Rin let out a moan as she laid on the cold hard ground. Right after she and Shade had been cut off from Lilly and Luna, the floor beneath them had opened up and they had fallen down into the dark bottom below. Since they were in a dungeon, they were unable to fly and therefore couldn't escape the sudden trap.

Another groan of pain was heard as Rin looked at the weight lying on her. Her eyes widened when she saw Shade on her, with his face buried into her chest.

"Aiiiiyyyyyeeeee!" Rin screamed as she forcefully shoved Shade off of her and sent a punch his way. The male Spriggan flew back, his body crashing against the wall.

"Ugh… The hell was that for?" Shade asked as he groggily rubbed his head. He looked over to Rin and saw the female Salamander kneeling on the ground with her arms covering her chest as she glared at him with a dusty blush on her face. "Ohh…"

"You pervert!" Rin yelled.

"It wasn't my fault! I landed on top of you!" Shade argued.

"You should still apologise regardless!" Rin couldn't help but feel a little violated, even though she knew it was an accident. She stood up and looked around the room. "We fell pretty far. Looks like we fell for some sort of trap."

"The point of that room was to split up the party. We'll probably meet up with them if we just keep going." Shade suggested. He pointed to a path, the one exit to the pit they were in. "We better get moving."

Rin couldn't deny Shade's logic, so she followed him. The two players walked together down a long dark hallway lit only by torches along the side.

As they walked, Rin felt an awkward silence between the two of them. She knew Shade was the mysterious silent type, but that made him all the harder to read. And she wasn't really one for long periods of silence.

"So… How are things?" Rin asked.

Shade narrowed his eyes at her. "How are things?"

"I don't know, look I'm just trying to make conversation." Rin explained. "It's weird with it just being the two of us and not saying anything."

"If you want someone to talk to, talk to that Navigation Pixie you always have around you." Shade said. He suddenly paused. "Come to think of it, where is your Navigation Pixie? You always had it with you before. What was its name again?"

Rin froze. She couldn't very well tell the truth. If she said Luna's name, shade would easily fit all the pieces together. "Th-The name? O-Oh it's… Hana. And some of my other friends are borrowing her for a quest for the day so that's why she isn't with me." She silently prayed that her lie would work. Luckily, Shade seemed to believe it and dropped the subject.

It didn't take long for long period of silence to start again. Rin started thinking about her sisters. She hoped both Lilly and Luna were alright. Looking at the health bars of her party members, she saw that neither of them had died yet so that was a good sign.

Suddenly, Shade stopped walking. He stayed still, listening to the silent air around them. Rin stared at him oddly. "What's wrong?"

"Quiet." Shade said. "Listen closely. Do you hear that?"

Rin listened for a bit. Suddenly, she notice a slight noise, a sort of rustling. But where was it coming from. There was nothing ahead of them, and she didn't notice any monsters behind them either.

Shade suddenly realized the answer as he looked up. "Above us!"

Rin gasped as she looked up and saw a large scorpion-like monster hanging from the ceiling. Shade quickly jumped away as it fell onto them, but Rin wasn't so lucky. She managed to avoid the monster landing on her, but it caught her with its tail, wrapping around her and holding her up in the air.

"Rin!" Shade gasped.

"Why you?! Let me go you stupid bug!" Rin yelled as she struggled to break free of its hold.

Shade drew his katana and got ready to fight. "Hang on. I'll take care of this quickly." He sped at the monster. With its tail occupied holding Rin, it's options to attack were limited. As he got in close though, his eyes widened as the scorpion shot a needle out from its mouth. The projectile hit Shade and sent him skidding back. He also had a poison status ailment as a result of getting hit.

"Shade!" Rin exclaimed.

The male Spriggan grunted, knowing he couldn't let this fight last long. He readied his katana and sped in once again. The scorpion shot its needle attack like before but shade was ready for it this time. He leaped over it and swung his katana down as he landed. The slash caused the monster to cry out in pain, as Rin noticed its grip on her loosen.

Quickly using all her strength, rin broke free of the monster's hold. As she fell down onto it, she smirked. "This-" Rin said as she Cupped both her hands and raised them into the air before swinging them down with all the force she could muster. "-is for turning me into a squeeze toy!"

Rin's attack smashed the scorpion's back shell and took out the rest of its HP. It shattered into fragments, leaving the two players alone again.

"We need to get rid of that poison." Rin said. She reached for her bag. "I should have some antidote potions somewhere here."

"No need." Shade said, bringing out his own antidote potion. "I usually play solo, so I make sure to carry around plenty of items." He drank the green potion and the poison icon disappeared from his HUD. "Let's keep moving."

Rin nodded her head and quickly followed Shade. She felt a little embarrassed that she had needed to be rescued by Shade back there. But she knew they needed to press on in order to get to the end and meet up with Lilly and Luna. she hoped they hadn't run into the same trouble she and Shade had.

As they continued their way down the hall, Rin and Shade ran into a couple more monsters. They were both strong players though and managed to handle them with relative ease. It wasn't long until they finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

"The exit! Finally!" Rin said with a sigh of relief. She and Shade quickly made their way and exited the long hallway they had been walking through. As they walked out they found themselves in a large open room.

Rin looked around for her sisters, but neither Lilly nor Luna could be seen. However, she did notice another presence in the room when she heard a low growl. Looking towards the other end of the room she and shade noticed a pair of piercing red eyes glaring at them. Slowly walking out from the shadows, they were greeted by a large dragon with ruby red scales.

"Looks like we found the boss." Rin said as she got ready to fight. "But where's Lilly and Luna?"

"I don't see any other entrances to this place. It seems this boss is meant just for us." Shade said.

"How flattering." Rin mumbled sarcastically.

"We don't have any tanks or support, so be cautious." Shade told her.

Rin nodded and both of them took off running. The dragon let out a roar as it blasted them with fire. Rin and Shade quickly leaped to the side to avoid the scorching hot flames.

"Shade, get its attention!" Rin called out.

"On it!" Shade responded. He quickly reached for some throwing knives on his belt and threw them at the boss. The damage they did was very little but they succeeded it getting its aggro on him. Shade ran as the dragon's gaze became fixed on him.

Using the dragon's distraction to her advantage, Rin quickly dashed under the large beast. Her fist became veiled in light as she unleashed a deadly uppercut to the belly. The dragon stumbled back a bit as its HP fell. As the dragon growled at Rin, shade came in and delivered a series of slashes to it. Both he and Rin jumped back a bit as the dragon glared at the two of them.

Letting out a furious roar, the dragon sprayed a wave of fire at the two fairies. It's widespread range made Rin and Shade unable to evade it, leaving them to be burned by the flames. They both cried out in pain as the fire blasted them back. They had taken a large amount of damage from the attack, mostly Shade since Rin had some fire resistance from being a Salamander.

"Damn this thing's tough." Rin grunted.

"If we get hit by that attack again, we could be in trouble." Shade noted. "We need to be careful and evade its attacks."

"We can't waste too much time either." Rin reminded him. "The longer this drags on, the bigger our chances of losing."

"You have a plan then?"

Rin grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "Go in together and hit it with everything we've got. Sound good to you?"

Shade let out a sigh. "Of course that's your plan. Still… I won't say it's a bad plan considering the situation."

Rin smiled and got ready to charge. "Alright then. Let's raise some hell."

Kicking off the ground, Rin and Shade both sped at the dragon. The boss once again blasted them with flames, but Rin and Shade managed to sidestep and evade it. As they got in close, it raised one of its talons to strike them down, but once again the two fairies managed to avoid it.

Shade took the first shot as he leaped into the air. His katana glowed with the light of a skill as he slashed at the dragon's neck. As he fell back down, Rin quickly balanced herself on her hands, raising her feet up for Shade to land on. Their feet connected perfectly and Rin sprang her legs up, acting as a springboard for Shade, who once again slashed at the dragon, bringing its HP down even further. Wanting to get a shot in herself, Rin leaped up with all her strength and reeled her fist back as it lit up.

"Take this you overgrown lizard!"

Hitting it with all the power she had, Rin's punch knocked the dragon back, making it fall over. It was far from being beaten yet though, but its HP had fallen about halfway down from Rin and Shade's collective attack.

As the dragon got back to its feet, it let out a furious roar. Rin and Shade covered their ears to avoid being deafened by the sound.

"Sounds like somebody's angry." Rin said.

Shade glanced to the side of the room where he noticed the wall beginning to rise. "Look!"

Rin saw it too and groaned. "Great, another boss?"

As the wall continued to rise, both Rin and Shade saw another boss. This one was a dragon that looked almost identical to the one they were fighting now, the only difference being its scales with blue like sapphire. But along with the new dragon, Rin also saw two familiar figures.

"Lilly! Luna!"

Both girls turned and saw their sister and Shade. "Rin! You're okay!" Lilly said.

"We were worried!" Luna added.

The party of four all ran toward each other, finally unified once again. "Are you two alright?" Rin asked.

Luna nodded her head. "Yup. Lilly and I took care of the monsters here no problem."

"You guys look exhausted." Lilly said. "Here, let me heal you."

As Lilly chanted out a quick healing spell, Shade saw the two dragons joining forces as well. "Looks like things just got harder for us."

"I think it's even worse than you think." Lilly said, as she noticed the two dragons begin to glow.

The red and blue dragons emitted a bright light, blinding the four players. When the light finally died down, they were met with a brand new enemy. The two dragons seemed to have merged together into a now two headed dragon.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Luna complained.

"They merge together and we're all exhausted. No, it isn't fair." Lilly said, though she still managed a grin.

Rin wore the same grin on her face. "But that's just gonna make it all the sweeter once we bring this guy down." She put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "When we work together, there's nothing that can stop us. Right?"

Luna nodded her head, encouraged by the words of her sisters. "Right!"

Lilly began preparing her Elemental Pistol. "Keep him busy for a few seconds. Once there's an opening, I'll blind him. Once I do, let loose on him."

"You got it Lilly." Rin nodded. "Let's go!"

Rin, Shade, and Luna all took off running towards the two-headed dragon boss. This time, it sprayed two breath attacks at once. The one from the red head was fire, while the blue headed one blasted ice.

Rin dashed right while Luna dashed left. Shade however kept his body low and slid under the breath attack.

"Take this!" Lilly said as she fired several shots of her spell from her hand. The blasts hit the dragon right in the eyes, making it cry out in pain. "Now's your chance guys!"

Shade activated a sword skill with his katana and performed a series of slashes at the legs. As the dragon kneeled down slightly, Rin leaped in and hit it hard with a punch. As the boss slid back, she met up with Luna.

Rin held her hand out to her sister. "You ready Luna?"

The Imp nodded her head. "Yup! Let's do it sis!"

Rin grabbed Luna's hand and spun her around, gaining more and more force. When she finally had enough momentum, Rin threw her sister directly at the dragon boss.

As Luna flew through the air, her sword lit up. She activated the sword skill Vertical Square, slashing at the dragon as she flew past it. The four consecutive slashes had taken it toll, bringing the dragon's HP down to the red. But with Luna flying so far past it, the young girl was no longer a threat.

Thinking that was the dragon's biggest mistake.

Luna flew to the wall, landing on it with her feet. With her legs bent back, Luna sprang off the wall and came speeding back at the boss midair again. It didn't realize the danger until it was too late as Luna unleashed the Vertical Square skill once again. This attack was enough to finish off the boss as its HP finally hit zero. It let out a weak roar before falling over and shattering.

The group of four all tried to catch their breath, recovering from the crazy fighting they had been in since getting separated.

"Please tell me that was the final boss of this dungeon." Lilly said.

"With how tough it was, I'd say it's a good guess." Shade said.

"Well, only one way to find out." Rin said. "The way to the next room opened up."

After healing their health back to full, the party of four continued on. As they entered the next room, they were greeted with a rewarding sight. A sole treasure chest sitting at the center of the room.

"Yes! The treasure at the end of the dungeon!" Luna cheered. "We really did it!"

"Hold on, Luna." Lilly said, holding her sister back before she could run on ahead. "It's always best to make sure there aren't any traps. Shade?"

Shade's Spriggan race came in quite handy for dungeon exploration, as they had numerous ways to detect traps in dungeons with skills. The only reason he could fathom that he hadn't noticed the trap doors earlier was because they were necessary to continue on in the dungeon. "My detection skill isn't picking anything up."

"Well you were the one that wanted to come here, so why don't you do the honors?" Rin suggested.

Walking up to the treasure chest, silence overtook the group as Shade kneeled down to open it. As he opened it, he found a pair of bracelets. They were both a silver color, except for a gem embedded in each of them. One had a ruby while the other was a sapphire.

"What are those? An accessory item?" Rin asked curiously.

Shade shrugged. "No clue. Let me check." He tapped the item and a window opened up, giving the item description. "Hm… no stat boosts, but there is an odd effect they have."

"Odd effect? Like what?" Luna asked.

"According to this, these are meant to be worn by two people. They each have a one time effect that allows the wearer to teleport straight to the location of the other, no matter where they are." shade explained. "After that though, the one used just becomes a normal bracelet, completely useless." The male Spriggan let out a sigh. "All that work and this was the main reward?" He held out his hand holding the bracelets to Rin. "You guys ok with taking these while I get the rest of the drops in this chest as a reward? You could probably make some use of them with your friends."

"Oh no, that wouldn't sit right with us." Lilly said. A devilish smirk came to her face. "I know. Why don't you take one and one of us will take the other. They should come in handy at some point. Let's see… Rin can take the second one."

Rin glared at her sister with an embarrassed blush on her face. "Lilly, how many times have I told you, I-"

"Now, now, no need to be so selfless dear sister." Lilly grinned, taking the bracelet with the ruby and placing it in Rin's hand. "There. Now you and Shade can go to each other in any time of emergency."

Shade stared oddly at the Cait Sith, not knowing what was going on with her. Luna also had a confused expression on her face. "Lilly, why are you so insistent on Rin and shade getting the reward item?"

"I'll explain when you're a bit older, Luna." Lilly said as she grabbed her little sister's hand and walked towards the exit beyond at the end of the room. "We'll see you two back at town. Later."

"Lilly!" Rin shouted, but her plea fell on deaf ears as her sister left the room with Luna. she let out a frustrated sigh.

"So… do you want both of these or no?" Shade asked. "I don't really care either way, but your sister made a point. You never know what situation might occur."

Rin groaned inwardly. She could just take both of them. But then she'd probably never hear the end of it from Lilly. Plus letting Shade have one just felt… right for some reason. "Just take the other one. I doubt either of us will ever find a use for them though."

Shade nodded his head and put the bracelet with the sapphire gem in his inventory. Rin did the same with the ruby one and the two of them began following after Lilly.

"By the way, there's something I forgot to mention." Shade added as they walked. "I remembered why Luna looks so familiar. She looks a lot like your navigation pixie, doesn't she?"

A nervous sweat went down the back of Rin's neck. "O-Oh… well…"

"And even though you said your pixie's name was Hana, I'm almost certain it was Luna now that I think about it. And I could have sworn that the AI mentioned on the news last month was called Luna as well."

"S-Shade, there's… there's an explanation for all of this-"

"Well if I didn't know any better, I'd say that little sister of yours used to be your navigation pixie, and was also the AI on the news. And if I dug around a little, I could probably find out your identity IRL as a result." To Rin's surprise, Shade shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. No way that could be the case. I guess I'll never know, will I?"

Surprise overcame Rin from hearing Shade's words. A smile came to her face. "Thanks Shade. Really."

"Don't mention it." Shade said. "It was a bit of a shock for me when I put it together. It really is amazing how human she acts."

Rin nodded her head. "Yeah. She's mine and Lilly's little sister and means the world to us."

"If that's the case then make sure her secret doesn't get out." Shade told her.

Rin nodded her head understandingly. "I will."

* * *

After returning to town, Shade parted ways with the Hiryo sisters after thanking them for their help. With their adventure complete, the three girls decided to call it a day and returned home to Lunet.

"Today was super exciting!" Luna said happily. "I had so much fun!"

"Yeah, that was a pretty cool dungeon." Lilly agreed. "I just wish we had brought more people. It would have made it a whole lot easier."

"Hey we still cleared it, didn't we?" Rin said. "I say today was a success."

"Yeah, I guess so." Lilly nodded. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of Rin's wrist. The bracelet from the treasure chest was wrapped around it.

Rin noticed her sister's gaze, and turned away from her. "Lilly, it's not what it looks like. I just… happen to think it looks nice on me."

"Mmhm. Sure, sis." Lilly giggled.

Luna tilted her head curiously, not understanding what was going on between her sisters. Sometimes human beings seemed so weird to her.

"Shouldn't we log off now? Mama should have dinner ready soon."

Rin and Lilly both looked at the time, realizing Luna was right. They each opened their menus and logged off. As her consciousness left the world of Alfheim, Rin took one last look at her new bracelet.

' _I wonder if he's wearing his.'_

 **A/N: Hope you liked seeing Luna have a bit of action to herself, as well as Shade getting some time to shine. Next chapter will be the start of a new arc. I have a feeling many of you will like what I have in store for it.**


	57. A Different Aincrad

**A/N: Hey readers. Time for the start of a brand new arc. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Alicia drove her car through the city streets. It was a bright sunny day, with spring finally starting to show its presence. Perfect weather, considering what today was.

For the past month and a half, Alicia had been meeting with Yuugo Shinito to discuss what she knew about several of the previous SAO Survivors, as well as a few that had even died in the death game. The scientist had stumbled upon a nearly unbelievable discovery when he had found a computer with an AI basis for every single player that had been trapped in SAO, complete with their personalities. With no way to prove the correctness of the personalities, Mr. Shinito had gone to Alicia for help to try and pick her brain about several different players that had been in SAO. Every single one she described matched up with the details in the AI's personality description.

After a few more weeks, the grand project Yuugo Shinito had designed was finally ready. He had invited Alicia to its opening to thank her for her help, allowing her to bring her family along as well. Dan was unfortunately busy with work, but with it being the weekend, her three daughters were all free to come. Rin, Lilly, and Luna were all excited to have the chance at such an experience, especially considering their parents had been a part of SAO themselves.

"Are we almost there yet?" Luna asked eagerly.

"We'll be there in a few minutes Luna." Alicia assured her daughter.

"It's a shame dad couldn't come." Lilly said. "I bet he would have loved this."

Alicia nodded her head. "Yeah, I bet he would. But we'll be able to tell him all about it tonight."

It wasn't much longer before they finally arrived at their destination. Kamishiro Inc., the company that Yuugo Shinito worked for. The company's building was quite tall, as with most buildings throughout the city. Several people had already arrived, most workers for the company but a few that were visitors for the opening day like Alicia and her daughters.

As the family of four walked inside the building, a familiar face quickly picked them out. "Alicia, thank you for coming."

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Shinito." Alicia said. She gestured to her children. "These are my daughters. Rin, Lilly, and Luna."

The three girls each gave a polite bow as they greeted the man. Mr. Shinito let out a hearty laugh. "There's no need to be so formal. Your mother has been a great help to my project. Here, let me give you a tour of the facilities."

Alicia and her daughters followed Mr. Shinito as he led them into the area set aside for the project. They all widened their eyes at the fancy-looking full dive equipment. There was a computer with a large monitor, screens up above displaying all sorts of information. But the most eye-catching part of the room were the large collection of pod-like devices throughout the room.

"First let me show you our SAO database." he said as he led them over to the large monitor computers. "This is more or less an encyclopedia of players that were trapped in SAO. It has details of how long they lived in the case of their deaths. There's also a description of their time in the death game, though this is only for a select number. Our research was only able to give us so much info on so many players, as there were ten thousand of them."

"I'm assuming the information has all been double-checked? There was a lot of false information spread about players in the early years after SAO." Alicia asked.

"Of course. We were quite thorough with our research, making sure all our sources were reliable."

"Mr. Shinito, I have a question." Lilly asked as she raised her hand. "What's with all of the pods?"

"Ah, yes of course. I'm sure your mother already told you this, but this facility allows players to dive in and experience the world of SAO for themselves. Those pods you see are the full dive tech that people will be able to use."

"Why not just use Amu Spheres?" Rin asked. "They allow full dive and it seems like it'd be a lot cheaper in comparison."

"A good question." Mr. Shinito said. "As I'm sure you know, the players in SAO had all of their avatars forcibly set to look like their real selves. This was possible due to the Nerve Gear. The Amu Sphere however does not have such capabilities of the same accuracy. Of course using the Nerve Gears would be far too dangerous, so we decided with a different alternative. Players dive in using these pods. It scans their physical data and allows them to dive in looking exactly like their real selves. We wanted to make this as similar of an experience to SAO as possible, minus the dying in real life part of course."

"So players would dive into the world of SAO and relive past experiences there?" Lilly asked.

"Yes and no actually. You see, the pods are divided into two groups. One set allows players to dive straight into important events of SAO of their choosing, whether it was a Floor boss fight or something else of great importance. The majority of these however allow players to dive into a recreation of Aincrad, where a copy of each and every AI player lives free. We also made it so that the AIs in that world don't die. Upon their HP hitting zero, they simply respawn as in any other game."

"It sounds super cool!" Luna said excitedly. "We'd be able to meet Mama and Papa from SAO, right?"

Mr. Shinito nodded his head. "Yes, that's correct. They would be AIs though, so there's no guarantee they'd be exactly like they were. It's hard to tell just how accurate the personality recording was for whatever system created the AIs."

"Were you ever able to figure out who created it in the first place?" Alicia asked.

The man shook his head. "Unfortunately no. I can only assume Kayaba had some sort of idea in mind for them. But with him dead, I'm afraid we might never know the answer."

"Can we use the pods and dive in?!" Luna asked.

"In a bit. As you can see, no one else is here yet since the room isn't supposed to be open to the public for another thirty minutes. When it opens up to everyone though, I'll be sure to set aside three for you to use though."

"Are you going to join us, mom?" Rin asked.

Alicia nodded her head. "Sure. But I doubt I'll be on long. I already experienced SAO first hand. You three go and enjoy yourselves though."

"I wonder if we'll be able to join Mama and Papa's guild." Luna said with a grin on her face. "I'm so excited."

Rin and Lilly both giggled at Luna's eagerness, though they couldn't deny they were excited themselves. "Are we allowed to use the database right now?" Lilly asked.

Mr. Shinito nodded his head. "Sure, I'll allow it. Go right ahead."

"Cool. I'm gonna go check it out."

"I'm coming too." Luna said.

"I'm gonna go walk around and explore then." Rin said.

Alicia watched as her kids all walked away to do their own thing. Mr. Shinito looked at Alicia. "You certainly have some great kids."

Alicia nodded in agreement. "They certainly are. And ironically, none of it would have ever happened without SAO. It's where I met my husband after all."

"I'm certainly glad a few good things were at least able to come out of that death game. I can't tell you how guilty I felt when I had found out the truth about SAO. The project I had helped work on had turned into a nightmare."

"But you didn't know." Alicia reminded him. "And regardless, you still helped create all of this. You've created a way for people to understand just what it was like in SAO for all of us. It's the same reason I became a novelist."

A small smile came to the man's face. "Thank you. Hearing that makes me feel a lot better."

* * *

Right outside and across the street from Kamishiro Inc., there was a cafe. A single man sat at one of the outdoor tables of the cafe, enjoying an early cup of coffee. He stared at the company building across the street. A few minutes passed before he saw his associate exit the building and make their way over to his table.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It seems like the plan you came up with will work perfectly." he said. "I just finished scouting out the area. I also managed to hack into the company building blueprints, so I know what room we're looking for and how to get there."

"Excellent. Good job."

"So when are we starting the operation? I'm itching to get going."

"Patience. We must time this right, or it will all be for nothing." the man said. "First let's meet up with the others. We'll brief them in on the specifics and you can show them where we need to go."

"You're the boss." he said.

Placing the money for his drink on the table, the man got up and walked away with his associate. A grin was on his face as they walked.

' _Soon. Very soon.'_

* * *

Finally the time came for the doors to officially open for Kamishiro's big event. People were scattered throughout the room, checking out everything there was to offer. Anyone could tell just from a glance that it was already a big hit.

Just as Mr. Shinito had promised, a set full dive pods were set aside for Rin, Lilly, Luna, and Alicia. They each laid against the soft cushiony fabric as the pods closed.

"They may look advanced, but they're really not all that different from Amu Spheres." the man explained. "Just dive in as you normally would. Your level will automatically be set to that of the average front line player of the game's current progress point."

The family nodded their heads understandingly. They each took a deep breath and closed their eyes, entering the copied world of SAO.

"Link Start!"

A flash of light blinded them all as they were logged in. A window appeared, allowing them to type in their name of choice for SAO. A window appeared in front of each of them, telling them to please wait as a body scan was performed. It was only about ten seconds though before it was finished and they were sent in.

Alice slowly blinked her eyes open, finding herself in the Town of Beginnings. She looked around, seeing the large amount of players and NPCs walking around.

' _It really feels just like the opening day of Sword Art Online.'_ Alicia thought to herself. ' _Though I guess I'm much older now than before.'_

It was true. Unlike when she logged into SAO back when she was 14, she was now a grown woman and a mother. The full dive pod made her appearance look like her current one so it was a very clear difference.

One thing that was the same as before though was her equipment. She was given basic starter gear, despite her high level. It seemed it would take some doing for her to have the same level of equipment she had back in her front line days of SAO.

' _Now let's see… Where are Rin, Lilly, and Luna?'_ Alice thought to herself.

"Hey mom! Over here!" Alice turned her head to see Lilly waving over to her. Both her sisters were standing at her side.

Alice walked over to her daughters. Luna giggled as she twirled around. "We really do look just like our real selves. This is so cool!"

Alice was glad to see Luna was enjoying the experience already. For her though, having the avatar she created swapped to her real world appearance had been a total nightmare at first. Although she doubted it was as traumatic as the players that had swapped genders in some cases. Turning from a girl to a guy wearing a skirt probably did a lot to damage a person's self esteem.

"So any idea on what we should do first?" Lilly asked.

"Well this is your first time in the world of SAO so why don't you three decide?" Alice suggested.

"In that case, I vote we go shopping." Rin said as she looked at herself. "No way are we going to be able to fight with this crappy gear."

She wasn't wrong about that. Even with decent levels, equipment was just as important in the world of MMORPGs. Lilly looked at her mother. "Remember any good places to get good equipment in SAO?"

Alice thought to herself. She opened her menu, taking a look at the world map. Based on what she was seeing, the current top Floor cleared was 37. "Let me think… Well it won't be anything amazing, but there was a place on Floor 26 for clothing. As for weapons… I think I know just the place on Floor 35."

Rin, Lilly, and Luna were glad to have someone well versed in SAO with them. They had all explored New Aincrad, but there were undeniable differences in that game, especially when it came to shops. Their mother's expertise came in very handy for things like this. Especially since there seemed to be a multitude of people that seemed to have no clue what to do, most likely some of the other people logging into the world.

Quickly leading her daughters to Floor 26, Alicia brought them to the clothing store she mentioned. The stats weren't anything to boast about, but it would be good enough, considering this wasn't an actual death game. Luckily, they all seemed to have a large sum of col. If Alice had to guess, the developers designed it this way to allow players to buy gear that suited them best to make up for the starter equipment they logged on with.

As they exited the shop, the four players were dawned with new equipment. Alice had on a silver combat dress with blue lining.

Rin had on a long red jacket. Underneath it was a yellow shirt covering her chest to her neck, while her stomach was left exposed. Brown pants covered her legs, giving her just enough freedom to easily swing them for a kick.

Lilly had picked out a violet hooded coat for herself, along with dark blue pants that hugged her rear nicely. She didn't have the ability to be a mage in the world of SAO, as no magic existed, but having something similar to a cloak felt comforting to her.

Luna wore a cute pink shirt with a white skirt at the end. She had also found a flower accessory in the shop and picked it out for herself. The item was currently fastened into her hair.

The weapon shop Alice directed them to next had more than enough variety for them. Alice remembered this was one of the few shops where scythes were available back in the game. With it being such a rare weapon type, the majority of better grade scythes could only be found as monster drops ro quest rewards. But the one she bought would do quite nicely. Rin, Lilly, and Luna had also managed to find weapons that fit their style. Once again, Lilly had needed to stray away from her usual mage build, going with a short sword, the side weapon she had in ALO.

"Well now that equipment is out of the way, what do you say we go to the highest Floor there is and see what the front lines are like?" Alice suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Rin nodded.

"Do you think we'll be able to meet the old versions of you and Papa?" Luna asked.

"Maybe." Alice nodded with a giggle. It took Luna saying it to remind Alice that this wasn't SAO. The large majority of players here were advanced AIs, probably all believing they were the very people they were based off of. To top it all off, that meant there was another "her" in a sense in this world. Meeting herself from the past felt like quite a strange occurrence to her.

Alice took a brief look at the map of the Floors to remind herself of the name of the current top Floor unlocked. She and her kids headed to the teleport altar and called out their destination. In a flash of light, they disappeared. They quickly rematerialized though on Floor 37, in the town of Romaru.

The town itself was quite peaceful. Rivers flowed along the town, fitting since there were a lot of lakes throughout the floor. Many buildings in the town areas had waterwheels. Alice remembered how fresh the water tasted on this floor, surprisingly better than other places. It had even gotten to the point where some player-owned restaurants on other floors got their water here for their drinks.

Rin took notice of the fact that the players on this Floor seemed to be a much higher level than the others they had met so far, judging by their equipment.

"There certainly are a lot of players here." Lilly noted. She noticed players wearing red and white, probably the Knights of the Blood Oath guild that Yui and Strea's mother was a part of back in SAO. She also recognized players in the Holy Dragon Alliance.

"There's so many strong looking players." Luna said aloud.

"Well, judging from the time, I'd say most players are gearing up to go into the fields." Alice said. "There's probably a few out there already."

"What about your guild Mama?" Luna asked. "Would you be out already?"

Alice brought her finger to her chin. "Let's see… Well we probably-"

"Ugh, where were you Helios? We're supposed to be out in the fields already."

"Alright, alright! Geez, stop nagging me all the time!"

The familiar voices caused Alice to turn her head towards the source of the sound. In the distance she saw Helios being scolded by herself. The rest of Wyvern's Inferno was there was well.

"It's your own fault for forgetting to set the system to wake you up." Mai said. "Though I guess a meathead like you would forget something as simple as that."

"Watch it squirt! Don't think I won't get you in a headlock."

"Just go ahead and try it." the AI version of Alice said with a crack of her knuckles.

The commotion had caught the attention of Alice's kids as well as they all turned and saw the AI versions of Wyvern's Inferno. Alice looked on at the scene, remembering things as how they had used to be back in her SAO days. They bickered and argued from time to time, but Wyvern's Inferno truly was a one of a kind guild. And the version in this world seemed to be just the same.

"Is that them?" Rin asked. "The black haired one kinda looks like your ALO avatar mom."

Alice nodded her head. "Yeah. That's Wyvern's Inferno."

"Cool! So that's Mama and Papa and everyone back when they were younger?!" Luna said excitedly. "Let's go say hi!"

"Hold on a second Luna." Alice said, holding her youngest daughter back. "Let this play out first. Trust me, you don't want to walk up there in the middle of this."

Something caught Lilly's attention in the distance. "Hey mom, who are those two running up to you?"

Alice curiously glanced over at where Lilly was pointing to see who she was referring to. When she saw who it was, she didn't believe her eyes at first. She was certain they were playing tricks on her.

It was a pair of players, a boy and a girl. They were around the same age as the rest of the group. The girl had brunette hair tied up in two ponytails. The boy on the other hand had short dirty blonde hair. Alice would have recognized them from anywhere, but she never actually thought she'd ever see them again.

"Jaune. Olivia. Did you grab the items you needed?" the AI Alice asked with a smile.

"Yup. Crystals and potions are all stocked up." Olivia said with a nod.

" _We also made it so that the AIs in that world don't die. Upon their HP hitting zero, they simply respawn as in any other game."_

Alice hadn't fully comprehended what that had meant at the time. But seeing her two dead friends made her see that it really was real. This wasn't just a copy of Aincrad, replicating every single event that had happened verbatim. This was an alternate world, where no one had lost their actual life in SAO.

This was a world where Jaune and Olivia hadn't died for real.

"Mom? Do you know who those two are or-" Lilly cut herself off when she looked up and saw tears falling from her mother's eyes. "Mom?"

Luna and Rin also noticed the tears in their mother's eyes. Luna looked at her mother worriedly. "Mama? Why are you crying?"

Alice quickly tried to wipe her eyes, but the tears kept coming. She silently motioned for her daughters to follow her as she quickly moved to an shady area between two buildings to hide.

Rin, Lilly, and Luna gave their mother a moment to collect herself. "Are you alright mom?" Rin asked.

"Yes… I'll be fine." Alice said, finally managing to stop the tears.

"So, are you gonna tell us what that was all about?" Lilly asked.

Alice let out a sigh before finally talking. "Do you remember the two friends I told you that your Aunt Emi and I logged into SAO with?"

Lilly widened her eyes. "Wait… you mean those two were-"

"The very same." Alice answered with a nod.

Rin and Lilly suddenly realized why their mother had gotten so emotional just now. Luna didn't fully comprehend, not knowing the story like her sisters did, but figured it was something her mother didn't want to get into.

"So… do you want to go talk to them?" Rin asked. "I know it's not really them, but-"

Alice shook her head. "No. I don't think I'd be able to control myself in front of them like this." she let out a small chuckle. "Besides, I'd also be talking to myself over there too. That just sounds like all kinds of weird."

"Then what should we do?"

Alice looked at her three daughters. "You three go and have fun. I think I'm going to log off for a bit, and look at some of the other things around."

"Are you sure, mom?" Lilly asked.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Alice assured them. "Like I said, I already experienced everything Aincrad had to offer once. You three enjoy yourselves." The black haired mother started to walk away. "Text me once you three log off, so we can meet up." she said. "Keep an eye on each other."

Rin, Lilly, and Luna watched as their mother walked away. They couldn't help but feel a bit worried for her.

"Is Mama gonna be alright?" Luna asked.

Lilly put a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Don't worry. Mom's fine. We should do what she said and try having some adventures here of our own."

Luna nodded her head. "So what should we do then? Aincrad's so big."

"Well…" Rin said. "Just because mom didn't want to go up to the old Wyvern's Inferno doesn't mean we shouldn't."

Lilly couldn't deny the fact that she too was interested in seeing what her parent's guild was like back in the day. An eager grin came to all three of their faces.

"What are we waiting for? We'll lose sight of them if we stand around any longer." Lilly said.

Quickly taking off, the three sisters ran towards the fields in hopes of catching up with Wyvern's Inferno.

 **A/N: So what do you all think of the new arc so far? I can promise you there are plenty of surprises and action-filled moments to come. See you all in two weeks.**

 **Also, for any of you that are fans of Vanguard, please check out my new fic I have for it. I'm sure you will enjoy it.**


	58. Clash of Past and Present

**A/N: Hey everyone. Been playing Integral Factor recently and the game is so much fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this game progresses, and I'm sure all of you that have played it so far feel the same way.**

 **There's also SAO Alternative: GGO, which has been such a blast so far. Seeing LLENN and co kick butt is such a treat.**

 **Well with that out of the way, hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Alicia emerged from the pod she was diving from, taking a quick moment to stretched her arms out. A few tears came to her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before people could notice.

It truly was amazing. Every time she had thought about Jaune and Olivia, her two childhood friends, it had always ended with them dying right before her eyes. Back in her SAO days, it had taken her the better part of a year to fully get over their deaths. Of course, having her sister there as well as the friends she had made in the death game helped. But to see them alive again after all this time, even if it was only in AI form, was more than she could have ever imagined.

"You sure weren't on for long."

Alicia turned and saw Yuugo Shinito, the man in charge of this entire project, walk over to her. The mother showed a small smile. "Yes, I thought I'd let my kids have fun in Aincrad. Let them have their own adventures."

"I'm sure they wouldn't have minded you joining them. Did something happen?" he asked.

A small sigh escaped Alicia. "I know you said that the AI versions of the players don't actually die for good when their HP hits zero, but I didn't really comprehend what that truly meant until I saw it for myself. There were people there I knew. Players that had died during SAO. It came as a bit of a shock to me when I saw them."

The man nodded his head understandingly. "I see. I can certainly understand what a surprise that must have been."

"There's something else I've been meaning to ask." Alicia added. "The AI players don't die in this version of Aincrad. So is it really that much of a representation of SAO. They may feel trapped in that world, but there's no consequences of dying there for them."

"Ah, a good question." Mr. Shinito said. "It's true that death isn't permanent in that world, but there is still a consequence of dying. You could say it's a way to make sure players try and avoid death almost as feverishly as they did in the real SAO."

"And that is?"

"Well, you see when an AI player in this version of Aincrad dies they…"

* * *

"Take this!" Helios shouted as he swung his axe with all his power. The large spider monster he was fighting had very sharp appendages, but he easily outclassed it in power as it lost its balance from Helios's parry. "Switch!"

"On it!" Ren said as he sped past his friend and delivered a series of slashes to the monster, depleting its HP to zero. It let out one last cry before shattering into fragments. The guild leader sheathed his sword onto his back. "Alright that should take care of this mob."

"Nice finish there Ren." Alice said, walking up to him. "That speed of yours really is handy."

"Well it's only right for our guild leader to be strong in a fight." Mai said. "But seriously, that speed of yours is out of this world."

"I need to always make sure I'm working hard to improve." Ren said. "That's my job as a leader."

As the Wyvern's Inferno guild talked amongst themselves, they didn't realize they were being watched. In the forest nearby, the trio of Rin, Lilly, and Luna watched them while keeping themselves hidden.

"Why do we have to hide from them?" Luna asked. "Can't we go up and say hi?"

"We need to come up with a good cover story first." Lilly said. "Not only are we not from the same world as them, we know their real word selves. If we blurted out something by accident that made them realize the truth about this world, it could be a disaster."

"Yeah, I'd rather not be responsible for bringing this world into a panic on the opening day of all this." Rin nodded in agreement.

Luna puffed her cheeks with a pout, but couldn't deny the logic behind what her sisters were saying. If the AIs that populated this world found out that they were actually AIs and everything they thought about this world was a lie, there was no telling what it would do to their mental states. As a former AI herself, she knew just how traumatic it could be to discover everything you thought was true was just a lie.

Suddenly, Rin saw Wyvern's Inferno turn to leave. "Hey, they're moving on! We better get moving too!"

"Hm?" Ren turned his ears to the woods.

"What's wrong, Ren?" Alice asked.

"Not sure. I could have sworn I heard something."

The three Hiryo sisters quickly ducked under the bushes before the AI Ren could spot them. Lilly breathed a quick sigh of relief before glaring at her sister. "Not so loud! You nearly gave us away!"

"Look I'm sorry, okay?!" Rin said. "Let's just give it a minute for them to leave."

"I think you'll need to wait a bit more than a minute." The sudden voice caused the three sisters to look up nervously. They were greeted by the sight of Ren staring down at them.

"O-Oh, hello." Lilly waved nervously.

"H-Hey da- Ren! I meant Ren!" Rin said, quickly cursing herself for nearly calling the AI version of Ren her father.

"What did you find Ren?" Alice asked as she appeared next to her boyfriend. She blinked in surprise when she saw the three girls. "Hello? Who are you three exactly?"

"Umm… well…" Rin quickly tried to think of an excuse to get out of this awkward situation.

"Why don't we talk about this out here." Ren said. "Don't worry, we're not going to PK you or anything, but I think you three do owe us an explanation."

Rin, Lilly, and Luna all reluctantly nodded their heads and came out from their hiding spot in the woods with Ren and Alice. The rest of Wyvern's Inferno all stared curiously at the three mystery girls.

"Who the hell are they?" Helios asked with a raised brow.

"Some players that were spying on us." Ren said. He brought the three girls over to a tree where they sat against.

Rin, Lilly, and Luna each wondered what they should do. There was no way they could run, not if the legendary speed their father was known for was anything to go by. But they couldn't very well tell the truth.

"Look, you girls don't look like PKers to me, so I'll believe you weren't trying to ambush us." Ren said. "But we do want to know why you were spying on us."

A nervous sweat went down Rin's back. "Well… we-"

"We're really big fans!" Lilly blurted out. "We've been huge fans of Wyvern's Inferno for a long time! We just wanted to see you in action!"

Rin and Luna glanced at their sister, surprised by her sudden statement. Rin had to admit, Lilly could be a pretty good at acting when she wanted to be. It sure came in handy right now.

Olivia and Jaune both raised their brows. "So your fans of ours?" Olivia asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Rin said, nodding her head. "We're really sorry about spying on you but we've looked up to you for so long! We just wanted to see they way you fought!"

"We're super duper extra sorry!" Luna added.

The group of Wyvern's Inferno looked at each other, not sure what to make of this surprising turn. "What do you think, Ren?" Riku asked.

"Hmm…" Ren looked at the girls. "Well they seem harmless enough. And it's not completely unheard of for mid-level players to try and stalk well-known front line guilds."

Rin, Lilly, and Luna weren't too keen on being considered stalkers, but given the circumstances it wasn't exactly untrue. They waited as Ren thought to himself.

"I suppose we can let this go, since you three didn't mean any harm." Ren finally decided. "But you three need to promise not to do this kind of thing again. Other players might mistake you for a PKer group, plus it's dangerous for mid-level players to be up on the front lines."

The three sisters nodded their heads. "We promise." Lilly said.

"Good. Careful on your way back to town." Ren said. He turned to his guild. "Come on guys, let's get moving."

"Umm… Could we go and spend they day with you guys!" Rin suddenly blurted out. "Please!"

Ren and the others looked back at Rin with mild surprise in their eyes. Lilly turned to her sister. "What are you doing?!" she muttered quietly to her.

"Look we wanted to have the chance to fight alongside mom, dad, and the others right? This is our chance." Rin muttered back.

"Yeah! It would be super awesome if we could join you!" Luna added.

Lilly inwardly groaned. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one who bothered to think things through when it came to the three of them. She expected Wyvern's Inferno to deny the request. But to her surprise, Alice gave a different answer.

"Sure. I don't see why you can't join us in the fields for the day." the black haired girl said.

Lilly blinked in surprise as she heard this while her sisters grinned excitedly. Helios narrowed his eyes as he turned to Alice. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't want to be stuck on babysitting duty."

"Look their equipment isn't anything extraordinary, but it's still decent." Alice said. "And it's just… I feel something special about them. I can't explain it, but what's the harm? We're all more than strong enough to handle the regular enemies on this floor anyway."

"If Alice trusts them, I don't see the harm." Olivia said. "We've got a lot of us here anyway."

"I agree. Why not let them see what front lines work can be like?" Jaune added.

"So… is that a yes?" Rin asked.

Ren looked at the three sisters in silence for a moment before finally nodding. "Sure. You can spend the day in the fields with us. But just for today."

Their faces brightened at hearing this. They got to their feet and ran over to the guild. This was more than they could have hoped for. They had heard countless stories of their parent's adventures in SAO, but this was the closest opportunity they would have to getting a first hand look at their parents in action in SAO.

"Alright. Wyvern's Inferno, let's move out." Ren said as the group continued their journey further into the fields of the floor they were on.

"Come to think of it, you never introduced yourselves." Mai said. "What are your names?"

"Oh sorry about that. My name is Lilly." Lilly said as she introduced herself. She gestured to her two sisters. "These are my sisters, Rin and Luna."

"So you're siblings? I guess you three do look kinda alike." Alice noted.

Rin nodded her head. "Yeah, we logged onto SAO together."

"I see. It must be nice being able to have that family bond together in here."

Lilly nodded her head. They had to keep in mind that while they were free to come and go, the AIs here really were trapped in a sense. "It's been tough surviving this death game, but we've managed to pull through somehow."

"Death game? That's a bit of an odd way of putting SAO." Olivia said.

Helios shrugged his shoulders. "They probably just think of the death penalty as "death" in a sense. But it's not like you actually die for real once your HP hits zero."

"Death penalty?" Rin asked.

Helios narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. The thing that happens when your HP hits zero and you respawn at the Town of Beginnings. How your memory gets wiped."

The three Hiryo sisters gasped in shock. "Your memory is erased when you die?!" Rin gasped.

The outburst caused the entire guild to stop and look at the three sisters. "Yeah. That was what Kayaba told everyone on the opening day when we found out we couldn't log out. You were there, weren't you?"

Rin cursed under her breath, realizing she just said something she shouldn't have. Lilly quickly thought of something as she spoke for her sister. "W-We did suffer some memory loss at one point. It was after we were wiped out in a monster ambush. But we thought it was just us."

"Well I'm afraid it's not." Mai said. "We'll explain. It's best you know all the details."

Rin nodded. "That would be helpful."

As Mai explained to the three sisters, Ren narrowed his eyes at them. ' _Something isn't right. They spoke of this as a "death game" but they didn't even know about any death penalty according to them.'_ he thought silently. ' _Those three are hiding something. I'm going to have to keep an eye on them.'_

* * *

"The AIs lose their memories when they die?!" Alicia gasped.

"For the most part, yes." Mr. Shinito nodded. "You see, each of the AI players have a sense of who they are based on all the research that was done. That includes a brief history of their background prior to SAO. That is their "starting point" in a sense. When they die, all of their memories related to their time in Aincrad is deleted. They respawn, only hanging onto their level and equipment."

Alicia took a moment to let this information sink in. It wasn't death, but losing one's memories was a tough ordeal. She understood the pain all too well, due to the incident with Ordinal Scale back when she was younger. But she had her friends to be there for her. The AIs there would come right back to a world they were trapped in, confused and dazed.

"I feel it's still a bit harsh." Alicia said. "Memories are a very precious thing. They shouldn't be discarded so easily."

"I understand, but we needed to give the AIs a sense of danger from death without implementing an actual death element itself." Mr. Shinito explained. "And it's been very effective. The AI players try to avoid death almost as exhaustingly as I'd assume the actual SAO players did."

Alicia couldn't argue much against that. Without any type of threat from losing one's HP, the new version of Aincrad wouldn't feel anything like the real deal. And trying to recreate that sort of environment for people to understand what it was like was the whole point of this project.

"I still think there should be another way." Alicia said.

"I'll consider it, but I can't promise anything." he told her. A ring came from his phone. "Excuse me."

As Yuggo Shinito walked away, Alicia decided to relax a bit. She walked out of the large room and went back to the main lobby of the building. There was a cafeteria for both employees and visitors to use so she went there for a bite to eat. Ordering her food and sitting down at a table, Alicia thought back to the copy of Aincrad.

It truly was amazing. The details were so precise. But the most incredible thing about the world were the players. Just looking at the AIs of herself and Wyvern's Inferno, they looked exactly like how they used to. And then there were the faces of those who were no longer in the living. Seeing Jaune and Olivia again had been quite a shock. They were alive in that world, and part of Wyvern's Inferno. It made her wonder how different things would have been if Jaune and Olivia had lived during the real SAO as well.

And of course there were countless others that were still alive in this version of Aincrad as well. Historia was probably among them, though based on the current top floor it was still before she joined them. But having another of her friends whose lives had been lost still be alive was even more to be happy about.

But then there was the penalty for death. Complete memory loss of all events in Aincrad. Of course it was a much better alternative to real death in her opinion. But losing one's memories was a very tragic thing. Even though SAO had been a death game, there were countless memories of Alicia's time there that she treasured. Times of her laughing with her friends. Times where they fought side by side. Times of her and Ren alone together. She wouldn't want to lose a single one of them.

' _I wonder if the me and Ren of that world are as in love as the real us.'_ Alicia thought. A smile came to her face. ' _I'm sure of it. Cause he's the only one for me, in this or any other world.'_ Suddenly a thought came to her. ' _I wonder if Kirito and Asuna are the same too. Is Asuna as much of a friend-shipper as her real self was?'_ A giggle escaped the black haired mother. ' _Maybe she'd try and ship her AI self with the AI Kirito, doing her usual stunts to get them together.'_

The sound of her phone ringing snapped Alicia out of her daydreaming. The caller ID showed it to be Kazuto. She answered the call and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Alicia. Where are you right now?"

"Me? I'm at the event I told you about. You know, the one for that copy of Aincrad and it's players." Alicia told him.

"You said you talked to the guy in charge of the project, right? What was his name?" Kazuto asked.

"His name? It was Yuggo Shinito."

"Yuggo Shinito? You're sure that's the name?"

"Yes, that's what he told me." Alicia said. "Why do you ask?"

"Hmm… maybe I'm just overthinking things."

"Is something wrong, Kazuto?" Alicia asked.

"I'm not sure. I was feeling weird about the fact that there was a copy of Aincrad with AI copies of all the players, so I did a bit of digging on the people in charge of the development team for SAO. I found that-"

Kazuto's voice suddenly went silent. "Kazuto?" Alicia asked. "What were you saying?" She brought the phone away from her ear and looked at it. The screen read 'Disconnection'.

' _No signal? That's weird.'_ Alicia thought. Murmurs could be heard around her. She glanced around the room, seeing others seemed to be experiencing similar problems.

' _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'_

* * *

"You cut the signal?"

"Yup. We're all clear boss."

"Good. Are Rico and Jin in position?"

"They are. They can get started anytime."

"Alright then. Let's do this."

A group of five moved through the halls of Kamishiro HQ. They had taken the stairwell, getting to the floor they needed. Three were in front, guns in each of their hands. Another took the rear, watching their backs. Their leader was in the center, ready to give out orders whenever needed.

"Levi, check the mapout of the building you got. Where's the room we're looking for?"

The man known as Levi looked at his tablet. "We take the next right. Then it's four doors down on the left."

"Alright, you heard him. Let's move it."

The squad of five moved down the hall. One of them held a small mirror out, seeing the hall was clear as they turned a corner. They moved on, going towards their destination. As they did, a door opened and a woman walked out. The sight of the men with guns made her gasp. Before she could scream, one of the men ran up and covered her mouth, pressing the barrel of his gun to her head.

"Listen closely. If you want to live, stay silent and do as I say. Understood?" the nod from the terrified woman was answer enough for him. "Good. Now move."

The woman walked ahead as the gun was held to her back. They walked up to the room. "Open the door." the man said.

The woman brought out her ID card and swiped it, unlocking the door. They walked in with the woman. There were several other people in the room, all gasping when they saw the armed group walk in with the woman.

"Alright, nobody do anything stupid now." the leader said as he walked forward. "As of this moment, we're in control. That means what we say goes. Behave yourselves and no one has to get hurt. Simple right? Now step away from the controls."

The people quietly obeyed as they were quickly moved into a corner of the room. "Tie them up and gag them." the leader said. "Mist, Levi, you guard the door. Make sure we don't get any unwanted visitors."

"You're the boss." Levi said as he and Mist went to the door. Meanwhile, the leader of the group moved over to the console.

"Wh-What do you want?" one of the employees asked.

"Shut it! What we're after is none of your business!" one of the men said as he gagged him and tied his hands behind his back.

The leader smirked as he turned to look at the employee. "What I want is retribution. Something of mine was stolen, and I can never get it back. So I'm going to make sure no one can ever use it. It's a simple case of "If I can't have it, no one can". You don't have to concern yourself with details." He began typing into the console. "Now then, let's get this party started."

* * *

"Hiyah!" Rin shouted as she slammed her fist down on a spider monster. A small shockwave was felt as the large insect's body slammed against the ground from the force of the impact. Backflipping off of the insect, Rin landed on the ground as the monster shattered before her eyes. Lilly and Luna were also making quick work of the insect monsters as they tag teamed a pair of spiders together. Lilly had always been more of a mage than a sword user, but she wasn't completely helpless with the weapon.

Alice walked over to the three girls, just having finished killing a monster herself. "You three sure know how to handle yourselves in a fight. I've seen front line players that couldn't fight like you three did."

"What can we say, we've had a lot of practice during our time here." Rin said with a grin as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Pretty rare to see someone fight solely with martial arts skills though." Helios added as he walked up. "Seriously though, your brute strength might just match Alice's here."

Alice pouted at her friend. "Now hold on. Are you saying I'm just some kind of girl that beats up everything in sight."

"Pretty much." her friend said.

"Is that so?" Alice cracked her knuckles as she looked at Helios. "Want me to add you to that list then."

"Kind of proving his point, sis." Mai commented.

"See? Even the squirt agrees with me."

Mai scowled at her friend. "On second thought, let him have it, Alice."

A cold sweat went down Helios's back as he backed away. Rin, Lilly, and Luna each let out a giggle. It was an odd bunch, but they could see that everyone got along in their own weird way.

"Alice's strength isn't the only thing she has in common." Riku added, joining the conversation. "She kinda has the same looks, don't you think?"

"Really?" Olivia took a closer look at Rin. "Well I guess the eyes are a bit similar, at least."

"And then there's the name. Rin. It's almost like Ren, don't you think?" Helios said. A laugh came from him. "Hey I just had a thought. Ren, Alice, this girl looks like she could be your kid."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Very funny Helios."

Helios's laughter only continued. "Hey have you two been doing something behind our backs, hahahaha!"

"Oh shut it, Helios." Alice said. "How could Ren and I have a kid that looks the same age as me."

"Dunno. Maybe you're just really old and you look young for your age." Helios joked, a comment which got him a bash to the head. "Ow! I was just kidding!"

"You should never joke about a girl's age." Alice said sternly.

As the friends argued, Rin couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Mainly due to the fact that Helios's guess was almost spot on. She may not have been the child of this world's Ren and Alice, but it was close enough.

"Heck if those three girls are sisters, you and Ren must have been getting really busy when we weren't looking." Helios said as he continued making jabs at the couple.

Alice glared at the axe-wielder. "Helios, so help me I'll-"

"Ummm… guys?" Mai said as she pointed up at the sky. "Not to interrupt, but does anyone else see that?"

Everyone all looked up at where Mai was pointing and widened their eyes. Rin, Lilly, and Luna especially felt a bit off put by what they were seeing. The sky was coated red, with several signs blinking the same message.

Warning. System Announcement.

 **A/N: Yeah, so as you can see, things are about to take just a slight turn to the serious side. What will happen next? you'll just have to wait and see. Until next chapter readers.**


	59. The Second Coming of the Death Game

**A/N: Wow, it has been a long semester. Luckily it's almost over as now all I have left is finals. After that it's summer, and a much needed break from school. But enough about me rambling on about college, enjoy the chapter.**

As Alicia walked around, she could tell the signal disconnecting was not exclusive to her. Everyone she passed by seemed to be having problems with their cell phones and online devices. In the crowd, she spotted Yuggo with a very concerned expression on his face.

"Mr. Shinito." Alicia spoke as she ran over to the man. "What's going on? There's some kind of issue going on with the connection."

"I know." he said with a nod. "We've got people working on it as we speak."

"Will everyone diving be alright? My kids should still be using it."

"I assure you they are in no danger. The disconnection shouldn't affect the pods. And even if it did, they'd be safely logged out."

"Do you have any idea on the cause?" Alicia asked.

"I have no clue. But right now, keeping panic down to a minimum would be best."

"What the hell?! Why won't the door open?!" the voice caused both Alicia and Yuggo to turn towards the front door to the building. A person was trying to leave the building, but the automatic door stayed shut. He even tugged to pull it open, but the door refused to open for him.

"What now?" Yuggo said with a sigh as he and Alicia walked over to the door. "What's going on?"

"You tell me. I tried leaving to get some fresh air, but the door won't open."

"Let me see." Yuggo said. As he inspected the door, sure enough, it was shut tight as the man had said. Yuggo looked over to the terminal next to the door, seeing it red. "What the?"

"Did you find something?" Alicia asked.

"The terminal is showing the building to be under lockdown protocol for some reason." he said. "Must be a bug. But it shouldn't be too hard to fix." Yuggo plugged his tablet into the terminal and began typing away. But his eyes narrowed when he saw an error message appear. "What in the? It's not letting me log into the system."

"What?" Alicia asked with widened eyes.

"Something's going on." Yuggo said. "I need to contact someone. We're shutting things down just to be safe."

"Mr. Shinito!" a woman yelled, frantically running over to him. "We-We've got a problem sir!"

"Woah, slow down. Tell me what happened."

"Th-These men, they've taken over the control room for the simulation! They've hacked into the main building controls and have taken over the entire building's systems!"

"What?!" Yuggo exclaimed. "How is that possible?!"

"They slipped past security! These men are dangerous sir! They've got guns!"

Everyone within earshot gasped at this news. People began to panic as they all tried to get out of the building, but the front door was still shut tight.

"Damnit, they're the ones that triggered the lockdown protocol, and shut off access to the system." Yuggo realized. "Ok, we can't shut down the diving pods automatically if we're locked out, but we can still do it manually. Let's get everyone logged out quickly."

As he said this, screams of fear came into the room. All heads turned to the room used for the project where people were running out as fast as they could.

"Run! There's some lunatics in there! They're armed with guns!"

Alicia and Yuggo gasped as the words came to their ears. Alicia quickly took off running for the room. "Rin! Lilly! Luna!"

The mother frantically ran for the room, but as she got close, the doors closed automatically. She tried opening it, but to no avail. Tears of worry filled her eyes as she banged on the door. "Damnit! Open up!"

"It's no use." Yuggo said, coming to Alicia's side. "Security's kicked in here too. Every door under lockdown will be shut tight. You'd need a battering ram to smash them down."

"Then we need to find one! My kids are in there!"

"Ms. Hiryo, I assure you we will do everything we can to-"

Yuggo was cut off as the loudspeaker turned on throughout the building. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming today to be a part of my little game."

Everyone fell silent as the voice was heard all over the building. "Who is that?" Alicia asked.

"If I had to guess, one of the people that took over the control room." Yuggo said grimly.

"As I'm sure most of you have realized by this point, the entire building is on lockdown and under my full control." the voice spoke. "Let me start by assuring you that there is no feasible way to exit this building. In addition, all cellular signals have been cut so calling for help outside is also impossible. Also, I would advise not trying to do anything reckless and stupid. The hired mercenaries I have with me will make sure you regret it very quickly if you do."

Alicia could only assume the people said to have guns with them were these "hired mercenaries" the man was mentioning. It only made her more worried. These weren't just some idiots trying to pull a dumb stunt. All of them were highly trained and expert killers.

"You all have come here today to "see what Sword Art Online was like", yet in truth you all aren't really experiencing what SAO was like. After all, there's no death that occurs if you die in this game. That brings us to the first of the rules for the game I've started now."

Alicia's eyes widened. ' _Don't tell me…'_

"Per the very strict safety regulations, the pods used for diving are unable to kill anybody. However, that room is on lockdown and there are currently two armed mercenaries there. Getting killed in the false Aincrad that was created will cause a forced logout, as is how it was originally designed. These mercenaries can see every pod that opens up, and upon death in the game they will kill that person in the real world."

Alicia felt her body go cold at hearing those words. If her daughters left their pods, which would happen if their HP hit zero, they would die in the real world. It wasn't under the same way, but it might as well have been the same circumstances as the original Sword Art Online. It was the one thing she never wanted them to have to experience.

"You needn't worry about any false alarms for this though. The system is now set to prevent any logout attempts players try to make. In addition, any people currently not diving are being brought to a corner of the room. Their lives will not be harmed, so long as they behave themselves. Now onto the important part of the game. As with the original SAO, this Aincrad has an auto deletion protocol if the game is cleared. It is more of a reset button in this case, but it will automatically cause a log out of every player logged in at the time. This will be more of a "end of the world" if you will. If the deletion is not stopped, it will be considered as death for every player logged in. I doubt I need to explain what will occur if that happens. There is a way to prevent it however. In fact, all of the players logged in, both real ones and AI, are being informed of this as we speak. If they are able to prevent the deletion, they will win this game. If that happens, the mercenaries in the room will stand down and they will all be free to leave."

Alicia wanted to curse out the voice speaking to them, creating this unfair "game" that her kids were now unwillingly a part of. But she knew it would be pointless since whoever it was most likely couldn't hear her.

"Again, I'd like to remind everyone listening to this to not do anything stupid like trying to be a hero." the voice spoke. "Let the games begin."

After that, the loudspeaker went silent. Alicia had no idea what to do. The lives of her children were in danger, yet she was completely powerless to do anything. She looked over at Yuggo. "Please. Mr. Shinito, there has to be something we can do."

Yuggo thought to himself for a few moments. "Right now, saving the lives of everyone behind those doors needs to be our top priority. But even if I could hack the door open, there's those armed mercenaries he mentioned."

"Is there another way in? Perhaps we could sneak in and-"

"Alicia, I know that you are worried about your kids and I'm sorry that this is happening. But I'm not risking lives here in a reckless rescue attempt." Yuggo told her. "If we could get police in here, they might be able to help."

"What if we smash the windows? We could get out that way."

Yuggo shook his head. "Security would kick in and block off the windows with bars if there was even a crack. The company makes sure to be very tight with its security."

"We could get a message to someone standing outside." Alicia suggested. "We can't get out, but if we make a message, people could see through the windows."

"It seems people are ahead of us when it comes to that." Yuggo said, looking towards the windows where people were trying to shout to those outside. "I imagine the police will be contacted soon at this rate." Suddenly, a thought came to him. He quickly plugged his tablet into the door terminal and began typing.

"What are you doing?" Alicia asked.

"Trying to give us a chance to make it through this crisis." Yuggo said. "I can't log into the system since they're blocking me off. But there is a backdoor into the system made for last ditch efforts. What I'm able to do with it though is very limited though."

"What can you do then?"

"For starters… this." Yuggo said as he finished typing. "There. That should take out all security cameras in the building. Now they won't be able to see anything we're doing through their feed."

Alicia supposed that was a decent start to dealing with this crisis. "What else?"

"It'll take a bit, but I think I may be able to get a message to some of the players trapped in Aincrad right now." His expression grimaced. "Imagine. I started this project to make up for being a cause of the original SAO Incident. But all I've done is create another one."

"You didn't know this would happen." Alicia told him. "It's the same as with the original SAO. You had no clue other people would use virtual reality for something so horrible."

"Maybe so, but this still happened under my supervision." Yuggo said. "That's why I swear I will not let a single person die this time. I will not let this become another SAO Incident."

In the back of Yuggo's mind however, something nagged at him. ' _That man's voice. Why do I feel like I've heard it before?'_

* * *

"Well, I think that was an excellent speech, don't you think?" he said with a chuckle as he sat in a chair in the room.

"Clever to create this game in order to distract them from our real objective." the mercenary leader said. "But you will be able to get what you're after by the time that countdown finishes, right?"

"Of course. I precisely set the world's destruction for that long in order to give us enough time to grab the data we need and be gone. Our ride will arrive on the roof just in time for us to make our escape."

"And our pay?"

"You needn't worry, the rest of your payment will be delivered to you once we escape with the data." he said. "You just need to focus on your job of keeping people away from here."

"Gonna be pretty hard without any way to see. Remember, we lost security visuals."

The man chuckled. "Yuggo was probably responsible for that. He always had ways to sneak into his own systems, that's why Kayaba added him to the team for creating SAO. He's clever, but in the grand scheme of things he was always a naive fool."

"Yo boss" a voice spoke as Levi walked into the room. "I just checked out the window. Looks like people outside have noticed something's going on. The police are probably on their way."

"Tch, the cops huh? That could get annoying." the leader said. "How long until that data is finished downloading?"

"It'll be at least two hours." he answered.

"And if the cops make their way up here before then?"

"That's what you're here for, Tohru." he said, pausing his typing to turn and look at Levi. "I hired you and your men to keep unwanted people away from here."

"And how do I know you're not just planning to ditch us and leave like you are with Rico and Jin down in the room with the pods?"

"Because I'm not stupid enough to piss off a mercenary group." he told him. "Those two idiots were hired outside of your group because I planned on leaving them behind from the start. They're cut of the pay is going to your group. Is that a problem?"

Tohru let out a frustrated sigh. "No. Just get that stinking data fast. The longer we're here, the worse our chances of escape are."

"Don't worry. With the hacker experts you've provided me, we'll be done in time."

Tohru rolled his eyes and walked to another end of the room. ' _Freaking ego-maniac. Just cause he was on the project for SAO along with Kayaba the guy thinks he's some genius. Well, at least he pays well.'_

"There's a question I've got." Levi said, walking up. "You're planning to destroy all those AIs in that world right?"

"That's more of a side benefit than the main goal, but yes. What about it?" he asked.

"Think you could convince a couple of them to help us out in exchange for extracting them to bring with us?"

"It is possible to contact specific players from here. But why should I waste time trying to convince some random players to do that?"

"They won't be random. I've got the perfect ones in mind." Levi smirked. "It's a certain group of three that I think would very much enjoy a good slaughterfest."

* * *

Rin, Lilly, Luna, and Wyvern's Inferno stared up at the sky. The bloody red color was one that the guild recognized from the opening day of SAO. When they were told about how they were trapped in the game, what would happen to them upon death, and how the only way out was to clear Floor 100. They had never expected another event like this to occur though.

"Is it Kayaba? Why would he do something like this out of the blue?" Olivia asked.

"Who else could it be? Though you're right about the timing being odd." Helios agreed.

Finally, a voice accompanied the red skies and System Warning message. "Greetings players." Ren and the others widened their eyes. That wasn't Kayaba's voice. "I'm sure you're all enjoying fighting for your lives in SAO. But I'd like to announce a special event that will be taking place starting now."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "What's this guy talking about?"

"The details of the event are quite simple. Right now, the teleport gates have all been set to go straight to Floor 100. On that floor is a castle known as the Ruby Palace. You must infiltrate it and traverse it. No need to worry about a level difference though, monsters spawning in the Palace are set to be enough for the top players to handle. At the very peak, there is a console. Access it and you clear the event. We can't make this too easy though, so there's an added… condition. The console you all need to reach is currently going through a self -deletion process. If it finishes, it will delete this entire world with all of you in it. Of course, this means death for every player in the world. Death meaning you will actually die. No respawning."

Alice covered her gasp with her hands. "What?!"

"Reach the console and the program will stop. Happy ending. It will finish in exactly 3 hours from now." As he said this, a timer appeared in the sky, counting down from 3 hours. "From here on, this will be a real death game. No more respawning for anyone, including the special few of you that are newer to this world than anyone else. For any player, death from here on will be a permanent death." Rin, Lilly, and Luna glanced at each other with widened eyes, knowing he was referring to them and the other players that were logging in from the real world. "Best of luck players, hahahaha!"

With that, the voice went silent. Everyone was left speechless as they stood there, letting the information sink in.

"Th-this is a joke right? It has to be." Mai said, her legs suddenly starting to tremble. "If our HP, hits zero, we'll actually die? Kayaba never said anything about this."

"That wasn't Kayaba though." Ren said. "But who was it then? Could someone have hacked the SAO servers? Is that even possible?"

Rin, Lilly, and Luna stood there. They knew more than the AI players of this world, yet they were almost as lost as them by this sudden message.

"What's going on?" Luna asked in a frightened tone. "Is something happening in the real world."

"I don't know." Rin whispered, not wanting the members of Wyvern's Inferno to hear them. "Maybe we should log out. It isn't safe here."

"But what about them?" Luna asked, referring to the AI players. "They'll-"

"We can figure things out once we're out of here." Lilly told her sister. She didn't like running and abandoning the players here, but she couldn't risk endangering Luna. She wasn't even sure of herself to be able to survive whatever was going on. As she opened her menu however, her eyes widened when she notice something. The log out tab was gone.

Rin widened her eyes when she noticed it was well. "What the hell? Why can't we log out?"

Lilly grew even more worried. This situation was going from bad to worse fast. They were all officially trapped in what was essentially a ticking time bomb. And if they couldn't get to the console on Floor 100, they would die.

' _But how. There's no way the diving pods could kill us, could they? Was whoever said that bluffing?'_

Lilly's train of thought was interrupted as a message window appeared in front of Rin. The window read 'Incoming call'. Voice messages usually weren't allowed in SAO, with the exceptions of recording crystals. They could only assume that whoever was contacting them was from the real world. But taking the call in front of the AI Wyvern's Inferno would probably complicate things very quickly.

Lilly quietly motioned for her sisters to follow her as she led them to a nearby tree for cover. They quickly snuck over and went around the tree to hide themselves from view before Ren and the others could see them. Once they were, Rin answered the call. A video appeared in front of Rin, showing Yuggo on the other side.

"Finally. I managed to get through."

"Mr. Shinito?" Rin asked. "What's going on? There was some weird message about an event and-"

"Rin! Is that you?!" the voice of her mother was heard as Alicia's face came into view. "Are you and your sisters alright?!"

Rin nodded her head. "Yeah. Lilly and Luna are here with me." The two girls poked their heads over to confirm it for their mother.

Alicia let out a sigh of relief. "Ok, listen closely. Some very bad people have taken over the building. They started some sort of death game in the copy of Aincrad you're in now."

"I know, we were told." Rin said. "The voice said we'll die for real if our HP hits zero. But that can't really happen, can it?"

Yuggo's expression grew grim. "I need you three to stay calm as I tell you this. Too big of an increase in heart rate, and the pods will automatically log you out which would be bad right now."

"How would that be bad?" Lilly asked. "We aren't able to log out right now so-"

"There are people occupying the room everyone is diving in right now. Dying in the virtual world won't kill you, but it will log you out. If that happens, those men will shoot you on sight."

The three girls gasped at this. Lilly felt her body grow cold. "So… if we die here, we'll really…"

"Listen to me." Yuggo said. "You need to tell us everything about this event you were told about."

"Well according to what we were told, Floor 100 was unlocked temporarily." Lilly explained. "We have three hours to reach a console somewhere in the Ruby Palace there. If we don't reach it, it said that some kind of deletion program will activate, resetting all of Aincrad." Lilly noticed Yuggo's eyes shift at this. "Mr. Shinito… do you know something about this?"

Yuggo stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding. "If I had to guess, it's going to use a program that was meant to be used whenever Floor 100 is cleared normally. It resets all of the data back to its base and restarts everything from the beginning."

"Everything? What about the AIs?"

"They'd be reset too. They're psyches up to that point would be deleted and reset to the base data there was for the opening day of SAO."

"But why?" Luna asked. "That'd be like killing them."

"If the AIs cleared SAO at nothing happened, how would they act? They'd realize that they're trapped in there for good. And then how would people be able to experience what SAO was like."

"But-"

"Look, we don't have time to argue over things like this. Right now, we need to get you three and the other players out of there. We're working as hard as we can. Meanwhile, you three need to try and gather the other players logged in and keep them safe."

"Should we try and reach the console." Lilly suggested.

"No, it's far too dangerous. You three could get killed. Leave it to the AI players. They won't die if they're HP hits zero."

"Yes they will!" Rin said. "This has become a death game for everyone! Including them!"

"Even still, your live are more important than theirs! They're data, and you have flesh and blood bodies in the real world!"

The three sisters looked at each other. Each of them were thinking the same thing. "So you want us to abandon the AIs to save ourselves?" Rin asked.

"Because their lives don't matter?" Lilly added.

"And ours do because we're human?" Luna finished.

"Yes. Listen, this isn't fun and games. It's-"

"We know exactly what this is. It's a bonafide death game, just like SAO." Lilly said. "We die here, we die for real. Same as the AIs. But we're not about to sacrifice their lives for ours."

Rin nodded in agreement. "If the only way to save all of the AIs here is to reach that console, then that's what we've gotta do."

"Are you crazy?! That's-"

"Mr. Shinito." Lilly said. "With all due respect, there's a lot about this place that we've come to have a problem with. You're messing with the memories of the AIs here and treating them as if they aren't human. But they are. They're very personalities are based off of real people. When this is over, we have a few suggestions."

"But right now we've got more important things to do." Rin added.

"We're going to save everyone." Luna told him.

"Rin, Lilly, Luna." Alicia spoke, grabbing the tablet from Yuggo and looking at her daughters. "Listen to me, I know your hearts are in the right place. But this is extremely dangerous. Promise me you'll stay in the safety of the town."

"Mom, like we said, we-"

"I don't care!" Alicia shouted, startling the three of them. "You three are what're important to me right now! If anything happened to you I'd… I'd…"

Rin, Lilly, and Luna understood what their mother must be going through right now. She was probably worried sick about them. After all, they could very well be dead in under three hours. But there was something more important.

"Mom." Rin said. "We understand you're worried. We understand that you want us to stay safe. But we can't just let other people risk their lives and cowardly hide to protect ourselves. That'd be going against everything you and dad have taught us through our lives."

"But-"

"It's alright mom. We'll be extra careful, we promise." Lilly said. "Besides, if we aren't logged out within three hours, we'll be dead anyway. Staying in the town won't do much good if that happens."

"Plus we have you, Papa, and everyone else to look after us." Luna added. "The ones in this world I mean."

Rin nodded her head. "Yeah. What better bodyguards could we ask for than Wyvern's Inferno in their prime?"

Alicia looked at her three daughters. Their faces were filled with confidence and hope. It reminded her of her and Dan back at their age. Another tear rolled down her cheek as she steeled herself.

"Alright, just promise me you'll stay safe." Alicia said. "Just come home safely. Can you promise me that?"

The three girls nodded. "You got it mom." Lilly said.

Suddenly, a short bit of static was seen on the screen. "The line won't last much longer." Yuggo said. "It seems I can't change your minds. All I can do is wish you luck. Stay safe."

A few seconds later, the line cut off completely. They were now completely on their own. They had less than three hours to get to that console. If not, then even if the others in the real world could get them out safely, all of the AIs in the copy of Aincrad would be reset All of the experiences and adventures they had would vanish as if they never happened.

"So is your little chat done?" the voice caused the three girls to stiffen up as Ren walked around the tree and revealed himself. The guild leader looked at the three girls with a serious expression. "I think you have some answers to a few questions I have."

* * *

It wasn't exactly easy explaining everything to the AI version of Wyvern's Inferno. Explaining that they were actually AIs based off of the very people they thought they were, who would be able to simply accept that with ease?

"So to put your story simply, the real SAO was already cleared long ago?" Ren confirmed. "And this version, including everyone in it are AI copies based off of the players? On the other hand, you three as well as a handful of other players in this world right now are real humans and are diving in from the real world?"

Lilly nodded her head. "We know it's a lot to take in. But it's the truth. Our parents were actually players that survived SAO in our world."

"So… we're seriously AIs?" Mai asked as she sat down to let this sink in.

"Screw this! There's no way it can be real!" Helios shouted, storming up to the girls. "You seriously expect us to believe-"

Ren cut his friend off, stopping him with his arm. "That's enough Helios."

"What?! Ren, you can't seriously-"

"As much as I hate to admit it, their story makes sense." Ren said. "For starters, that voice before mentioned players that were "newer to this world than anyone else". Why would anyone log into SAO this late in if it was the real deal? Second, they received a video message from the outside world earlier that I overheard. Everything they've said matches up with that conversation they had. It also talked about a majority of the players being AIs."

Helios's eyes widened, seeing that his friend was serious. "Then… what the hell have we been fighting for all this time? Were we really some damn source of entertainment?!"

"It was never entertainment." Rin said with a shake of her head. "This world was created to give those that weren't in SAO a way to try and see what it was like for those that were, even if just a little."

Ren let out a sigh. "This is honestly a lot to take in. But regardless, we don't have time to contemplate this. If what we were told is true, then we don't have much time until this world is destroyed and we all die."

"We'll fight too!" Rin said. "We can't let all of you risk your lives while we do nothing!"

"If you three are that determined, I won't stop you." Ren said. "But keep in mind, this is real life and death now. For all of us, dying here means dying permanent death."

Lilly nodded her head. "Believe us, we understand."

"Alright then." Ren said. He turned to the rest of his guild. "Who's up for saving the world?"

Alice replied with a thumbs up. "As if you had to ask."

"We're a team, and you're our leader. If you're ready to fight then so are we." Riku said.

"Sounds like a good way to let loose my rage." Helios grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"We've been through tougher fights than this." Mai said.

"We're all dead anyway if we do nothing, so might as well give it our all." Jaune nodded.

"No one's dying today. We'll make sure of it." Olivia said.

Ren looked at his guild and showed a satisfied smile. "You guys really are the best. Alright, first thing's first, let's head back to town. We need to regroup with the rest of the front lines and form a raid. We only get one shot at this so we'll have to do whatever we can to succeed. After that, we storm the Ruby Palace."

"Right!"

* * *

Alicia stood in the main lobby. Words couldn't describe the thoughts running through her head right now. Her kids were currently trapped in what might as well be the second coming of Sword Art Online. And she was stuck here, helpless and unable to do anything.

"I can't believe this." Yuggo said as he took a seat next to Alicia. "Your kids have got to be the craziest ones I've ever met."

"That they are." Alicia nodded. "But they're my kids. In the end, I suppose I knew all along this would be their answer. Because my husband and I would have done the same thing."

"But why? Why would they risk their lives for the AIs? Their data will just be reset anyway."

"Mr. Shinito… No. Yuggo." Alicia told him. "I understand you did all of this to try and help people understand SAO, but in a sense I feel you may have turned yourself into Kayaba at the same time."

"What?!" Yuggo asked with widened eyes. "How could you think-"

"Kayaba wasn't outright heartless to the players, he made things fair for everyone. But still, I can't say he really cared about us." Alicia said. "Similarly, you don't seem to fully care about the AIs that represent us."

"But they're-"

"Human or AI, it doesn't matter." Alicia told him. "You said everything gets reset once SAO is cleared. That means all their memories of their adventures are gone as a result. It turns into a giant hamster wheel with the players running around without going anywhere. "I know getting them out of that Aincrad isn't exactly feasible, but that doesn't mean everything has to be reset from the beginning."

"But then, what am I supposed to do?"

"I think you'll be able to find the answer to that on your own." Alicia told him. "You're not a bad person Yuggo. Just try and think what you'd want for all of the players from the original Sword Art Online if they were unable to escape even after clearing Aincrad."

' _What I'd want for them…'_ he thought. ' _Does she mean…?'_

Their conversation was interrupted as a commotion was heard from near the front entrance. Both of them looked as the door finally managed to open up. Cheers flooded the building as people rushed outside.

Alicia stood up from her seat in shock. "How did the doors open?"

Her answer soon came as a group of police officers quickly rushed into the building. The one at the front of the group quickly noticed Alicia and Yuggo and made her way over to them. "Well Alicia, it sure has been awhile since we last saw each other. It's a shame it's under such crappy circumstances."

Alicia's eyes widened as a smile came to her face. The officer speaking to her was one she had never been happier to see in all her life. "Shino!"

 **A/N: Well things have gotten serious. As I'm sure you can tell, there's going to be plenty of action, both in the virtual and real world. I also have a few surprise twists for everyone in this arc so look forward to that. Until next time readers.**


	60. Raid on the Ruby Palace

**A/N: Finally final exams are over! Now I have far more time to write! I'll still be doing the two week update for this fic for a bit, until I can get caught up on the other fics I'm behind on but don't worry. I hope to be back to a weekly update for this soon. Anyways, on with the chapter.**

"Shino, it's so good to see you." Alicia said, hugging her friend. "How were you all able to get in here?"

"One of my officers is a specialist with hacking. He broke through the lock with ease." Shino said with a smirk. "He's currently working on trying to get the lines back up and running. Now do you know exactly what's going on here?"

"I can answer that." Yuggo said. "Someone has infiltrated the building along with armed mercenaries. They're currently held up in the control room of the project the company released today."

"Any idea why?" Shino asked.

"I wish I knew." Yuggo said. "But what they've done by accessing that room is a serious problem." He pointed over to the shut doors to the diving room. "More mercenaries are in that room, along with all of the people still diving. When a player dies in that world, they are automatically logged out. When that happens, the mercenaries will shoot that player."

"Rin, Lilly, and Luna are still diving too." Alicia said grimly.

Shino's eyes widened. "Alicia… I can't imagine what you must be going through right now. I promise you my officers and I will do everything we can to save them."

Alicia silently nodded her head. With her daughters currently trapped in this death game, all she could do was pray that this nightmare would end soon with none of their lives lost.

"Is there any way for us to have a visual of the room you mentioned?" Shino asked.

Yuggo shook his head. "I cut the cameras around the building to prevent them from being able to see us. A bit of a double edged sword I suppose."

"It's fine. I'd rather both of us be blind than them being able to see us coming." Shino said. "I'll need you to give me a layout of the building. Our first job needs to be cutting off their escape routes."

"Of course." Yuggo nodded as he and Shino talked, with him discussing the floor plan of the company building, showing it to her with his tablet as well.

Listening attentively, Shino slowly began mapping out routes in her mind. When she had the full layout she turned to her officers. "Alright, we're splitting into four teams. I'll lead Squad A. Iori, you're in charge of Squad B. We'll take separate routes and rendevouz at the control room. Rose, you take C and sweep the floors for any hostels or hostages outside of the control room. Yuma, you'll be leading Squad D. Your job is to try and get a visual inside the room with the diving pods. Don't do anything to let them notice you. There's no telling just how many hostages they've got in that room."

"Understood, chief." the three officers said with a nod before moving out with their teams.

"Shino." Alicia called out as her friend was about to leave with her team. "Good luck."

Shino gave Alicia a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, Alicia. I'll make these bastards regret putting your kids in danger."

With everything ready, Shino moved out with her team as they prepared to make their way up the building floors to their destination.

* * *

The Ruby Palace. The 100th floor of Aincrad consisted of this long structure. A giant red castle at the very peak of Aincrad. The AI players of SAO had been quite far from this structure, considering they were only on Floor 37. But for this one-time event, they got to have a look at their final destination. Their goal to clear the game.

A large group of nearly one hundred players were gathered at the teleport gate of Floor 100. The front lines had plenty of players besides the ones there. However, hearing the news that death would be permanent if their HP hit zero, many players had been scared off from the dangerous mission. With just barely over two hours to go before the entire world was reset, there was no time to try and convince the scared players to join them. They could only go with the ones they had now.

Lilly held Luna's hand. "Stay by our side Luna. Whatever happens, don't get separated from us."

"Mhm, I won't." Luna said with a nod.

Rin and Lilly would have much rather Luna stayed in town since she was still somewhat inexperienced, but their little sister was having none of it. In the end, they supposed bringing Luna along was safer than the young girl coming in secret. At least this way, they could keep a watchful eye on her.

"We're all ready to go Ren." a voice said. Ren turned to see Kirito walk up to him. "We've got about 50 players from the Holy Dragon Alliance. They'll be the main vanguard, taking on the first big wave of enemies we see while the rest of us go for the console."

"Sounds like a good plan. We can't waste too much time on whatever monsters end up being in there." Ren said.

"Don't worry. With this many player working together, there's no way we'll lose." another familiar face said, this time the player being Asuna. The three Hiryo sisters widened their eyes, not a the fact that it was Asuna, but the fact that she was dressed completely in black like Kirito.

"Au- I-I mean Asuna." Lilly said, glad she hadn't finished calling Asuna her "aunt". "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Hm? What are you talking about? This is my usual gear." Asuna said. "All the players in Raven Wing wear black."

"Raven Wing? What about the Knights of the Blood Oath?"

"Knights of the what? I've never heard of a guild by that name." Asuna said. She looked over at Ren. "Who is this girl anyway? I don't recognize her from the front lines."

"She's one of the lower-leveled mid-floor players." Ren lied. "You know, the ones we got as volunteers to help with this."

"I see…" Asuna said. "Well she sure doesn't seem to know much about the front lines. Keep an eye on her so she doesn't do anything foolish."

"I'll be sure to do that." Ren nodded. Once Asuna was out of ear shot, he looked at Lilly and her two sisters and whispered at them. "Look, I'm guessing there were some differences between our SAO and the one you three know. The players here still don't know about how they're all really AIs so don't do anything to make them suspicious of you."

"R-Right, sorry." Lilly nodded. She cursed herself out for making such a careless mistake. "Could you tell us about that guild Asuna mentioned? Raven Wing, she called it?"

"Raven Wing is one of the top guilds on the front lines, next to the Holy Dragon Alliance." Alice explained, joining in. "Asuna is the guild's Vice Commander."

"And who's their leader?" Rin asked.

"Kirito."

Both Rin and Lilly widened their eyes. "What?!"

"Kirito is the leader of the guild. He and Asuna were a famous duo on the front lines for a long time before they finally formed a guild. Slowly, the guild grew in size, becoming the formidable force it is now." Ren explained.

Rin and Lilly looked at each other, equally shocked by this. From the stories they had heard, Kirito had been a solo player almost through the entirety of SAO. For him to be a guild leader… it was a little shocking to say the least.

Kirito walked forward, addressing the crowd of players that had gathered. "Alright everyone. Our mission is pretty straightforward. There's a console somewhere near the top of that castle. We have roughly two hours to access it. We do that, everyone is saved. We don't, everyone dies. I'm not going to lie, this is going to be anything but easy. But we can do this. Let's show whoever came up with this sick twisted idea that us SAO players are not to be taken lightly!"

"Yeah!" a collective roar of agreement came from the crowd of players.

Kirito glanced at Asuna as the chestnut haired girl walked up to his side. "You ready, Asuna?"

"Of course. I'll always be by your side, Kirito." Asuna said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Kirito told her. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the open castle doors. "Let's go everyone! Charge!"

A giant war cry came from the group of players as they all ran into the Ruby Palace. One of the first things they saw was the giant set of doors at the end of the hallway, most likely leading to the final boss of SAO. But a special window was in front of it, blocking off any access.

' _We'll be back for you. One day.'_ Ren silently thought as he and the rest of the raid group went for the stairs at the side of the hall. They ran up them, going up towards another room in the palace. Opening it up, the players were met with their first obstacle.

Knights. Rows and rows of knights with ruby plated armor and weapons of all kinds. Their number seemed endless.

"Holy Dragon Alliance, you're up!" Kirito called out. "Clear a path!"

Following Kirito's orders, the Holy Dragon Alliance guild charged forward. Sensing the presence of the players, the knights all engaged, charging forward as well. Soon, the room was flooded with players clashing against the armored enemies. It was absolute chaos.

"Damnit, there's too many." Ren said. "The Holy Dragon Alliance won't be able to clear a path on their own at this rate."

"Then we'll use the other players as well." Kirito said. "Backup unit, assist the Holy Dragon Alliance! Get us a path through this!"

At his command, another ten to twenty players charged forward, going into the fray. Even though their levels were somewhat lower than most front line players, the assistance of the Holy Dragon Alliance would give them a fair safety margin. With the added support, a small thin space was beginning to open up down the center.

"There's our opening! Let's go!" Ren shouted. He led the charge as the rest of his guild, as well as Rin, Lilly, and Luna ran towards the end of the room, followed by Kirito and the Raven Wing guild.

As they ran, Luna glanced back at the room they had left. "They're all going to be ok, right?"

"No way to tell for sure." Ren said. "But I can say for sure that none of us will be ok if we don't reach that console. All we can do is trust them."

Luna didn't like leaving the other players behind, but she understood that there was no other choice. Which meant that they had yet another reason to reach the console said to be at the top of the Ruby Palace.

Before long, the group found stairs leading up. They took them and went further up the castle. After making it to the next floor of the castle, they continued to run. Enemies spawned every so often, but they were easily dealt with as Raven Wing members split apart from the group to hold them off while the others continued to progress.

Finally, they came up to another set of doors. Pushing it open, the remaining players were now faced with a brand new obstacle. A giant dragon with ruby red scales and black colored wings. It roared at the arrival of the players.

"Give us a break!" Mai complained. "We don't have anymore time to waste!"

Ren looked out of a window, seeing the timer still in the sky. "We've got roughly forty minutes left. We can't deal with this right now."

"Then what do we do?" Asuna asked.

"Vice Commander." one of the Raven Wing players spoke. "Please, let us handle this. You and Kirito go on ahead with the Wyvern's Inferno members."

Kirito's eyes widened. "Are you sure? There's not much of you guys left."

"We'll be fine. We have the other smaller guilds here too." the member said. "Besides, we don't need to beat it, just keep it busy."

Kirito contemplated leaving the majority of his guild to fight such a dangerous-looking enemy. But time was short and they couldn't afford to waste time fighting this dragon together. Reluctantly, he nodded his head. "Alright then. Good luck."

"Leave it to us, sir!" the player said. "Alright! Let's do this, Raven Wing!"

A loud roar sounded from the players. They all charged at the dragon, which roared as it prepared to fight the small army challenging it.

"Here we go guys. Run past it and get to the end of the room." Ren said.

The remaining players nodded as they all took off running. Rin, Lilly, and Luna all ran together. The dragon's aggro was focussed on the players fighting it, but it still noticed the players getting far too close for its liking. With a growl, it raised its talons to strike them down.

"Heads up!" Lilly shouted. The three sisters all swiftly dodged the stomps from the dragon, smashing into the marble floor. Sliding under another swipe from its talons, the three of them made it to the other side with the others.

"Good, everyone made it. Let's get moving." Ren said as they took off running yet again.

Kicking off the ground, everyone ran away from the fight going on with the dragon and continued their run to the console. There were barely any of them left now compared to the massive group of players that had been together at the start of the raid. But they would have to make due.

"We've got to be nearly at the top by now." Mai said. "We've been climbing this thing forever."

"Let's hope so, Mai." Ren said. "If that dragon was any indication, we should be pretty close to the console."

"Maybe even closer than you think. Look!" Alice said, pointing in the distance. It was another set of doors, but these ones looked far fancier than any of the previous ones. "That sure yells out "Final Destination" to me."

"It's about time!" Olivia said with a grin. She picked up the pace. "Let's hurry! Once we reach that, we can end this nightmare!"

As Olivia ran ahead of the group, Kirito caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. "Look out!"

Lunging forward, Kirito tackled Olivia out of the way as a one-handed battle axe came flying at her. Olivia's eyes widened as she saw the axe stuck into the ground, seeing how close she was to getting hit by it.

"Aw man! And I wanted to give them a big surprise to greet them too!"

Kirito looked upwards towards the origin of the voice. "Who's there?!"

To answer Kirito's question, five figures leaped down from above. Each of them were wearing muddy brown cloaks with hoods covering their faces.

Alice narrowed her eyes when she saw the cursors of the five new arrivals. "Are they… players?"

"That's right." the one at the center said. "And we're the ones that will keep you from the console up ahead."

"What?!" Mai gasped. "But why?! Don't you know what will happen if you do that?! Everyone will die!"

"Yeah, and that includes you, dumbasses!" Helios added.

Another one of the players let out a laugh. "That's where you're wrong. See we have a little deal. We stop you, and we get to be free of this world. Boy was it crazy to find out the truth of this world, and about all of us."

Ren's group widened their eyes, while Kirito and Asuna narrowed theirs. "The truth of this world? What are you talking about?" Kirito asked.

"Oh, you don't know? Well allow us to enlighten you."

"All of the players, including us and you, are really just AIs." another one of them said.

"The real SAO was cleared years ago. This is just a copy of that world." the next one spoke. The single one-handed axe in his hand suggested he was the one that had tried to kill Olivia just now.

"And we are copies of it inhabitants." the center one finished. "The sad truth is, even if Floor 100 is beaten, freedom isn't what awaits you."

Asuna's mouth was wide open as she listened to this. "You're lying… You have to be lying."

"Man, the Lightning Flash is in complete denial. Can't say I blame her though." one of the hooded players said, this one holding a knife in his hands. "I mean how messed up is it that we're all AIs and didn't know about it until now?"

"You seriously expect us to believe that?!" Kirito shouted.

"That's enough, Kirito." Ren said. Both Kirito and Asuna looked towards the leader of Wyvern's Inferno. "They're telling the truth."

"What?!" Asuna gasped. "Ren, you're joking, right?!"

"It's true. All of us in this world are AIs. This is an artificial version of SAO." Ren said. He pointed over his shoulder where Rin, Lilly, and Luna were. "Those three aren't from here. They logged into here from the real world. And based on our time with them, everything they've said is true."

Kirito and Asuna stared at the three girls in disbelief. It was all true? Everything they had believed in up until now was all a lie?

"Well as fun as this is, I think we should really be getting down to business." the center one said. He brought out a machete-like weapon. "My Mate Chopper has been itching for some blood."

"Man, this whole life or death thing really has you going, huh PoH?" the dagger user chuckled.

Kirito's eyes widened. "PoH…"

"Oh? So you recognize my name?" PoH said. "Well then you should recognize the name of our guild. Laughing Coffin."

"The Pker guild." Asuna growled. "You've caused players a lot of trouble, but to think you'd actually stoop to murder."

"I actually find it more fun this way." PoH chuckled. "It's so lackluster when something you kill is just respawned. Things are more interesting the way the are now."

"You're even more insane than I thought." Kirito said, getting ready to fight.

PoH chuckled to himself. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Either way…" he snapped his fingers, signalling his guild to attack. "It's showtime."

* * *

Rose moved through the hallways of the Kamishiro company building, silently making her way to the rendezvous point. She and her squad were in charge of eliminating any and all of the mercenaries they came across, to make things easier for the chief and everyone to make it to the control room undetected.

Making it to a corner, she brought out a small mirror and slid it out slightly. No one showed up in the lens. With the coast clear, she signaled for her squad to keep going. She took the lead as they moved. As they continued to walk, the sound of a door closing was suddenly heard behind them. The entire squad turned behind them, feeling on edge.

' _If that's one of the mercenaries, we can't ignore it. It could also be a worker here, in which case we need to get them to safety.'_ Rose thought. She signaled for her team to follow her as they moved to the door. Gathering on both sides of it, the entire squad prepared to burst into the room.

With a violent kick, Rose knocked the door open. The squad all entered the room at once, guns pointed. But as they looked around, no one was there. They all made their way in slowly, knowing they were probably being watched at this very moment.

' _If there's no one we can see, there should only be one or two people.'_ Rose thought to herself. ' _We've got a squad of five. We can take them.'_

"Hostile spo-" the voice of one of the officers was suddenly cut off by a gunshot as he fell to the ground with a thud. Rose and the remaining officers all turned and saw a lone man running at them. He ducked under and slid forward, dodging the simultaneous bullets that flew aiming for his head. He then pulled out a second handgun and fired two shots simultaneously, taking out another two officers.

"Damn you!" the other officer besides Rose yelled as he aimed to shoot. But before he knew what was happening, the man moved in and disarmed him, getting him into a tight grip and holding the officer in front of him as Rose aimed her weapon at him.

"Let him go." Rose said with a glare.

"Or what? You'll shoot him along with me?" he asked, bringing a knife to the man's throat. "Now lower your gun or he dies."

Rose gritted her teeth. This man had just killed three highly trained officers, all good people that she knew well. She couldn't let him kill another.

Suddenly, the man's eyes narrowed. "Wait a sec… don't I know you from somewhere?"

Rose looked at the man in confusion. She had never met this man before. Was it just a coincidence perhaps?

"Where was it… Damn, I know you look familiar, but I can't place from where." he said.

"Enough with the small talk. Let him go." Rose said.

Suddenly, the man's eyes widened. "That voice… I remember!"

"Rose, forget about me! Just shoot him!" the officer shouted.

The man grinned. "Rose huh? So that's where you got your handle from." he said. "You remember. The one you used in Sword Art Online."

Rose's eyes widened. This man knew her from SAO?! But how? When? As she thought about it, the realization suddenly hit her. ' _No… I remember him… He was in…'_

The man smirked, seeing that she recognized him too finally. "It's been a long time… Rosalia."

 **A/N: I told you all there would be twists and shockers. Well here's a big one. I'm sure you all have lots of questions but you'll have to wait until next chapter for them to be answered. Until then.**


	61. Who Cares? It's Just Murder

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update, but I was busy all of yesterday and didn't get home until late. But here's the chapter now. Enjoy.**

"So _what if we kill someone here? It's not like there's any proof dying here means you're dead IRL."_

Those were the words that got Rosalia through her time in Sword Art Online. Those words were her excuse for the endless list of wrong things she and her guild Titan's Hand did. It was a hollow excuse, barely holding the ground on which it stood. But it kept her sane throughout her two years there.

And then came the day that everyone was released from the death game. And the harsh reality came crashing down on her.

' _They're really dead… Every player that died in SAO is dead in the real world too…'_

It wasn't until that moment that Rosalia had been forced to come to terms with what she had done during her time in the game. In regular MMOs, she had come to enjoy the role of playing the villain. That persona of her kept nagging at her during her first year in the death game. Finally, she gave in and created the orange guild Titan's Hand. She prefered to avoid murder. In fact, she stayed green most of the time in order to have an excuse not to kill. Because even she herself doubted her lies a little. That didn't change the fact however that a handful of players died by her hand.

For the first few days after being freed from Sword Art Online, Rosalia, or Rose as she was called in the real world, was a lifeless shell. She couldn't come to terms with the guilt of what she had done. Not long after she was discharged from the hospital, she went to the police station.

"I'd like to turn myself in for the crime of murder." she told the officer there.

After such a bold statement, she had been taken to the interrogation room of the station. She explained to the police about her crimes in SAO and the horrible things she had done. But to her surprise, she wasn't arrested. Instead, the police chief there let her go free. Rose had no words, asking the police chief if he misheard her. His next words surprised her even more.

"You've suffered your fair share of troubles too being in that death game. Frankly, even if you do admit to these crimes, Kayaba is the one that will be held responsible in the end."

"Then what do I do?!" she asked. "How am I supposed to live with myself after the crimes I've committed?!"

The police chief put a hand on her shoulder. "If you truly feel that badly about the things you've done, then try to set them right. Do what you can to make up for your crimes and redeem yourself."

After that, he let Rose go. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first. She had gone there expecting them to lock her up and throw away the key. But here she was being let off scot free. At first she didn't know what to do. The guilt of her crimes haunted her like a curse. There was even a brief moment where she had contemplated suicide. But then the police chief's words struck her. Make up for her crimes and redeem herself. If she killed herself there and then, she would be taking the coward's way out. No, she had no right to do that.

' _I can never hope for forgiveness for the things I've done.'_ Rose thought to herself. ' _But I can at least spend the rest of my life paying for my crimes by doing what I can to redeem them.'_

After that, Rose studied hard and trained to become just like the officer that had inspired her. She worked to become a police officer. After several years of hard work, she finally succeeded in her goal.

Over a decade had passed since then. She was now a full fledged officer, and a damn good one if she did say so herself. Today was just another emergency. Storm a building, take out the mercenaries there and save the civilians trapped inside. Difficult no doubt, but it was still her job.

But all that changed when _he_ showed up.

"Man I haven't seen you since SAO." Levi chuckled. "But seriously, you're a cop? Can't say I ever imagined you ending up like that."

"Let him go, Levi." Rose told him. "I'm not afraid to shoot you."

"Oooo, someone sure got high and mighty after SAO." Levi said with a smirk. "Been awhile since I've heard anyone outside of the group I'm with call me by that name though. It was my handle in SAO after all so I figured I'd roll with it once I became a mercenary."

"You always were one that enjoyed killing players." Rose said with a glare.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Spare me the high and mighty act. We both know you're just as guilty as I am for the deaths of those players. Need I remind you about the Silver Flags incident?"

Rose's body tensed up at the mention of that. One of the guilds she and her guild Titan's Hand had murdered when they didn't have any worthwhile items or money. It was the part of her past she hated about herself.

"Tell me, do the police know about the murders you've committed?" Levi asked. "Oh right, I guess not. They wouldn't let someone like that in right? And there's no criminal record since every death in SAO was blamed on Akihiko Kayaba."

"Rose… what's he talking about?" the officer being held by Levi asked.

"The little red head over there is a murderer, that's what I'm talking about." Levi said. "She didn't actually kill a whole lot of people herself but she led the organization that did."

"Shut up Levi." Rose told him.

"Oh is it really that hard for you to think about? Man you sure became soft after SAO, didn't you?" Levi asked. "I decided to actually put the experience with a blade I got to use. Managed to find work with this sweet group."

"I'm not the leader of Titan's Hand anymore." Rose said. "I've put that part of my past behind me."

"Is that so?" Levi asked. "Well then play the part of cop." He brought his head out more to give the woman an easier target. "Go ahead. Shoot me."

Rose aimed her gun up towards Levi's head. It would be so simple. Pull the trigger and he'd die. But looking at him brought back so many memories. Painful ones.

Levi chuckled as he watched Rose struggle. "I thought so. Which means I don't need a hostage anymore."

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" Rose screamed, but it was too late as Levi slit the officer's throat, letting the man go as he dropped dead in front of him. Rose fell to her knees, with the entire squad she was in charge of dead.

"Ah, this reminds me of the good old days." Levi laughed.

"You.. you…" Rose glared at Levi with all the hatred she could muster. "YOU BASTARD!"

Levi saw Rose redirect her weapon and aim for him. He quickly threw the knife he was holding at Rose. The blade hit her hand, making her drop the gun she was holding.

"Well, well, looks like you've finally got that fire back in your eyes." Levi smirked. "Well, I better go report in to the boss. Toteloo Rosalia."

Rose held her bleeding hand in pain. It wasn't just the wound that stung though. It was how she had just stood there, helpless as all of the officers with her had died. Rage boiled up inside her.

' _I will not let your sacrifices be in vain.'_ she thought as she got back to her feet. ' _Levi, I will end you along with my pathetic past.'_

Rose picked her weapon back up and put it in its holster. She doubted she'd be able to use it very effectively with one hand but better to have it than not. She ran out of the room, but as she turned to go after Levi, she ducked back in the room as a knife came for her and lodged itself into the door.

"Come on, you didn't _really_ think I'd let you walk away alive, did you? My boss would kill me." Levi chuckled. "But this makes it so much more fun, don't you think? A gunfight would be over too quickly."

Rose pulled the knife out of the door and rushed at Levi. The mercenary had a grin on his face as he held yet another knife, ready to take her on.

"It's been so long since I've been able to have a good old fashioned fight with blades like this!" Levi smirked. As Rose got in close enough, he threw his blade right at her head with deadly accuracy and speed.

Acting quickly, Rose ducked under the knife and lunged at Levi. But her eyes widened as she noticed him pull out another knife with his other hand. ' _Just how many of those things does he have?'_

"Die!" Levi yelled as he swung the knife at her. Rose swung her weapon up, the two blades clashing violently.

"Heh, not bad Rosalia." Levi said. "But we both know knives were always my specialty. Too bad you don't have a spear to use right now."

"I won't need one to beat you." Rose told him. She swung her knee up, hitting Levi right in the gut.

The mercenary backed up a few steps as he tried to fill his lungs back up with air. Rose took the opportunity to go for a strike at his head with the knife she had, but Levi managed to duck under at the last second. He swung his leg, knocking the police woman off balance and making her fall on her back. Levi grinned as he sung his knife down at her. Rose brought both her legs up, tossing Levi over her. Levi fell on his head as he tumbled on the floor.

"Damn that hurt." Levi grunted as he got back up, blood dripping from his head.

"Rose, move!" a sudden shout came.

Rose widened her eyes as she turned and saw Shino standing behind her on the other end of the hall with a gun aimed in their direction. "Chief Makengo?!"

"Tch." Levi quickly lunged to the side, going down another hallway. To avoid getting shot.

Shino quickly ran over to Rose. "Are you alright? I didn't hear a report from you so I got worried."

"I'll live." Rose said. "Though my left hand is out of commission."

Shino saw the bleeding from Rose's hand. It was clear that Rose wasn't going to get much use out of it until they could bandage it. "What about the rest of your squad?" the silent shake of Rose's head was all the answer Shino needed. "I see… Get yourself back down to the lobby."

"But what about Lev- I mean the mercenary?!"

Shino looked down the hall. "I'll deal with him myself. No one does this to my men and gets away with it. Now get yourself downstairs. That's an order."

Rose stayed there as Shino ran down the hall. She cursed herself out for her weakness. She hadn't even been able to take down the very person that had killed so many brave officers.

Shino silently made her way down the hall. All the way down was a dead end with no branching paths so the mercenary had to be in one of the rooms. The only question was which one. The sudden creaking sound of a door opening behind her quickly cause her reflexes to act. She turned around, dodging a bullet that came from her head. She quickly raised her weapon and fired it, the bullet piercing Levi's shoulder. She heard him let out a curse as he moved back into the room. Not wanting to give him any time to recover, she quickly ran towards the door. She peaked inside, not seeing Levi within eyesight of the entrance.

With one swift motion, Shino entered the room and aimed her gun to the side, not seeing Levi there either. That left only one possibility, and it was confirmed as she heard a footstep from the other side. She turned around and saw Levi lunge at her. She attempted to shoot him, but Levi knocked the gun out of her hands and tackled her to the ground. He readied a knife and brought it towards Shino's neck, while the police chief used all of her strength to try and push the arm holding the blade back.

"You've got pretty good reflexes." Levi smirked. "Too bad they weren't enough."

' _Damnit!'_ Shino cursed as she struggled to hold the arm back. ' _Not here! No way am I dying like this!'_

Levi chuckled to himself, until a sudden swift kick came at him, knocking him off Shino. He rolled across the ground, looking to see Rose standing next to Shino.

"I told you to get back to the lobby." Shino said as she got to her feet.

"With all due respect chief, I couldn't leave you alone with him." Rose said. "This is my fight."

"Sheesh, this is really starting to get annoying." Levi said. He went for his gun, but a knife throw from Rose knocked the weapon out of his hand.

"I'm disappointed Levi." Rose said. "Like you said, you were always the specialist when it came to daggers. And I don't even have a spear with me."

"Damn you!" Levi roared as he lunged at Rose, but before he could even get close to her, Rose drew her gun and fired it with one hand. At such close range, she didn't need her second to hold it steady. Levi let out a weak gasp before falling to the ground dead.

"But my training in the police academy made me _very_ good with a gun." she said.

"Nice quick draw there Officer Rose." Shino said. "However, you really should have obeyed orders."

"I apologise, Chief Makengo." Rose told her. "It's just… this fight was rather personal for me."

"I understand that he killed the officers in your squad, but-"

"It's more than that, chief." Rose said. "It's… well it involves my past."

Shino could see that Rose was severely troubled based on the look in her eyes. It reminded her of herself when she was younger. "Very well. If you don't wish to talk about it, I won't pester you. But this time, I want you to follow orders and retreat to the lobby."

"Understood." Rose said with a nod.

"And Officer Rose." Shino added. "If you ever wish to talk about this past of yours… don't hesitate to come to me. I understand all too well how troubling a person's past can be."

Rose showed a small smile and replied with a nod. "Thank you Chief Makengo. I'll consider that."

"Good." Shino said. "Now then, we still have a building of mercenaries to deal with. Best continue with that."

* * *

Rin backflipped away as a Laughing Coffin member slashed their weapon at her. There weren't many players in the PKer group, but at the same time they didn't have a whole lot of players themselves.

"Stay still girl. I'll make it quick if you promise to scream." the PKer snickered.

"Sorry, but I'm not a fan of dying here." Rin told him with a glare. She dodged another slash before following up with a fierce punch that knocked the player back.

Despite their lower level, the Laughing Coffin members had managed to easily split up the formation of the group. Everyone was scattered around, trying to fend off the murderous players.

Luna was busy trying to defend herself against one of the stronger members of Laughing Coffin, Red-eye Xaxa. She used her speed to avoid a thrust from his estoc, but as she went in for a slash, Xaxa swung his leg and tripped her.

"You should have stayed home and played with your dolls, little girl. This is a battlefield." Xaxa smirked as he pulled his blade back. "Now you die."

Luna screamed in terror as Xaxa prepared to thrust his estoc forward. Before it could hit her though, a sudden appearance came from the side and kicked Xaxa away, knocking him into the nearby wall. Luna slowly opened her eyes and saw Lilly standing at her side.

"Leave her alone." Lilly glared.

"Ugh…" Xaxa groaned as he shook off the hit. "Seems every little girl wants to die today."

"Go ahead and try it." Lilly said.

The two players kicked off the ground simultaneously and sped at each other. As they got close, Lilly tossed her weapon into the air while sliding her body underneath Xaxa's thrust. Xaxa turned around, only to find Lilly above him. She caught her sword midair and came down, delivering a painful slash to the PKer's avatar.

As Lilly was about to follow up, Xaxa stepped back and the axe user of the Laughing Coffin group came in with a powerful slash. Lilly quickly brought her weapon up to defend herself but was still sent flying due to the overwhelming power of the hit. She stopped just before reaching one of the windows in the hall. But now she was backed into a corner against the axe user. Lilly knew she had to do something quick as the PKer readied to attack. Quickly thinking, Lilly backflipped and sprang off of the glass window, jumping over the player as their axe only made contact with the wind.

"Lilly, heads up!"

Lilly turned and quickly got out of the way as the player Rin was fighting got sent flying from a punch from the girl. He knocked into his guildmate and the two crashed through the glass window, falling down below.

Rin ran over to the window to check if the two Laughing Coffin members were actually gone. But she wasn't expecting a hand to reach out and grab her once she got to the window, yanking her out.

"Rin!" Lilly and Luna exclaimed simultaneously.

Rin was caught in the axe user's grip as she was held in the air outside. Looking around them, she saw the slanted rooftop of the castle, telling her why the two Laughing Coffin members hadn't fallen to their deaths.

With a powerful throw, he tossed Rin aside. The girl rolled along the slanted roof, nearing the edge. She saved herself from falling as she gripped the side, hanging from the edge. Looking down, Rin could see it was a long way to the bottom and would almost guarantee certain death.

The two Laughing Coffin members chuckled as the walked up to the edge to finish the job. Rin desperately tried to pull herself up, gasping as she noticed the two PKers right near her as she got her head over the edge.

"Give us a good scream as you fall." one of them chuckle as he prepared to kick Rin off the castle roof. In an instant however, both of them found themselves knocked off the edge. They turned around as they fell to see Ren standing where they had been, gasping as they both fell to their deaths.

Ren reached out his hand, helping Rin back up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Rin said as she pulled herself back onto the roof with Ren's help. "You really saved me there."

"Just be more careful next time." Ren told her.

"Too bad there is no next time for you, Crimson Flash."

Both Ren and Rin gasped as they suddenly noticed PoH come at them. They both quickly moved out of the way, evading the machete PoH was holding. Ren called out to Rin. "Get back inside! I'll handle this!"

"Oh? You'll handle me, eh?" PoH chuckled. "Let's see how well that works out for you!"

Ren ran up the slanted roof with the leader of Laughing Coffin following close behind. He couldn't risk fighting so close to the edge where one mistake could end with him falling to his death.

"Ren!" Alice called out from the window.

"I'm fine!" Ren shouted back. "Focus on getting to the console!"

"You are far from fine!" PoH said with a laugh as he slashed at Ren. The tactician desperately blocked each of the PKer's murderous swings of his Mate Chopper. Soon, they were standing at the top, where a flat platform was laid out, making it easier to hold one's footing.

Rin finally managed to get back to the window. She looked worriedly at Ren. "Is he going to be alright?"

"You just focus on getting to the console." Alice said, stepping out from the window. "I'll go help Ren."

Without getting another word in, Rin watched as Alice ran along the roof and up towards Ren and PoH. She couldn't help but be scared. Having to fight with their very lives on the line was a first for all of them. Even if the people of this world were AI copies, she didn't want them to die. But she couldn't afford to waste time thinking to herself. She went back inside and spotted Lilly fighting against a hooded member of Laughing Coffin who was wielding a dagger.

Lilly leaped back to avoid a slash from the player. She looked up at her HUD and saw a poison icon which was slowly sapping away her HP. ' _I can't let this continue. This guy's proficient with poison and status ailment attacks.'_

"How do you like my poison?" he asked. "That's a Johnny Black exclusive. You should be honored to die from it."

"Not happening." Lilly said. She sped in, swinging her blade as it clashed against Johnny Black's dagger. Even though her weapon was stronger, her strength had taken a hit, allowing her opponent to be her equal in strength.

"It's like a real life poison, slowly seeping through your body." Johnny Black smirked. "As time passes, you'll grow weaker and weaker. Just give up now before-"

Johnny Black was interrupted as Lilly swept her leg under him, causing him to trip. "Here's a little something you should know about me." Lilly said. "I've never been the type to rely on brute force either!"

Johnny Black quickly rolled away to avoid Lilly's slash. As he got to his feet however, he received a vicious axe kick to the head out of nowhere from behind. The PKer fell over, revealing Rin standing behind him.

"Nice shot, Rin." Lilly said as she high fived her sister.

"Only because you handled yourself so well against him." Rin told her. "That wouldn't have worked so well if you didn't give me an opening."

"Are you alright, Rin?" Luna asked.

Rin nodded her head. "Don't worry. Dad- or I guess I should say the AI version of him saved me. But he's currently fighting that guy that looked like the leader out there with the AI version of mom. We need to get that console."

Both Lilly and Luna nodded in agreement. They saw the other Laughing Coffin members were currently occupied with the other AI players. This was their chance.

"Let's go." Rin said as she and her sisters took off running for the console room at the end of the hallway.

Xaxa glanced over and saw the three girls heading for the console. He was about to go after them, but a thrust from Asuna's rapier told him that he didn't have the time to focus on them. "Shit! Someone get them! They're going for the console!"

Unfortunately for Laughing Coffin, no one had the luxury of going after the three sisters. The girls grinned, hopeful that they could finally end this nightmare.

However, as they ran, a window ahead of them shattered as Ren came flying in. Rin and the others gasped as the AI version of their father tumbled along the floor, making them come to a stop. Within seconds after that, the AI Alice came leaping in, running over to him.

"Ren! Are you alright?!" Alice exclaimed.

"Yeah." Ren grunted as he sat up. "He got a lucky shot in, that's all."

As the three sisters were occupied looking at the AI versions of their parents, Lilly noticed PoH come through the same window that Ren and Alice had come through. She widened her eyes as he lunged for the duo.

"MOM! DAD! LOOK OUT!" Lilly exclaimed. It all happened so suddenly that she didn't even realize what she had called them.

Lilly's shout caused Alice to turn around and see PoH coming for them with his Mate Chopper raised in the air. She quickly acted and brought her scythe up, the shaft of the weapon blocking the blade of Mate Chopper. As Alice held back PoH, the words from Lilly slowly began to sink into her and Ren, realizing exactly what she had just said.

' _Who would have thought Helios was actually right about that.'_ Ren thought.

"I will not let you ruin this for me!" PoH yelled. "After all this time, I can FINALLY kill players for good! And once this is over and I'm free of this world, I can kill people in the real world too! And I will not let a bunch of wannabe heroes get in my way!"

"Call us wannabe heroes if you want." Alice said. "But we won't let psychopaths like you stop us from protecting the people we love."

"You little-" PoH was cut off as a cry of pain escaped him, the blades of Lilly and Luna slashing at his back. PoH quickly moved away to get away from the pincer attack he was currently in.

"You're all really starting to get on my nerves." PoH glared. Suddenly he noticed Rin missing from the group. "Wait… where's the third brat?" His eyes widened as he looked behind him and saw Rin making a beeline for the console room. "NO!"

"Go Rin! Hurry!" Lilly shouted.

PoH cursed his situation. There was no way he could catch up to Rin with the lead she had on him. As much as he hated it, his dreams were coming to an end.

"You may get to the console…" PoH said with a growl. "But let's see if you can get there before I kill one of your friends!" Without any warning, he sped straight for Luna and aimed a slash for her neck.

Luna gasped as the leader of Laughing Coffin lunged at her. Lilly quickly stepped in front of her sister to protect her. PoH didn't care who it was, as long as someone died. But everyone's eyes widened when a sudden punch came from Alice, slamming against PoH with a devastating amount of force.

"GET AWAY FROM MY KIDS!" Alice shouted.

Alice's punch sent PoH flying through the broken window they had all come in from. His body slid down the slanted roof of the castle. He quickly tried to recover as he stopped his sliding down, but the second he did it was too late. Ren and Alice were both inches away from him.

Ren delivered a swift series of slashes to PoH, ripping through his avatar. He then swung his leg under him, tripping PoH over. As he lost his balance and began to fall back, Alice thrusted the end of the shaft of her scythe at him. It slammed against PoH's gut and sent him flying back over the edge of the roof.

Ren and Alice walked over to the edge, catching one last glimpse of the leader of Laughing Coffin before his body hit the ground, killing him instantly as his avatar shattered into fragments.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter everyone. Next chapter will be the finale of this arc and will answer some of the questions you all might still have. Until then readers.**


	62. Thanks For the Memories

**A/N: Alright readers. Time for the finale of this arc. Hope you all like it.**

"Hyah!" Kirito shouted as his blades cut down another Laughing Coffin member. He quickly looked around for the next one, but he soon realized it was over. The remaining Laughing Coffin members were either gone or restrained.

"Geez, those guys were stubborn." Helios groaned as he sat down to rest. "How much time do we have left?"

"About ten minutes." Mai said. "But Rin's going towards the console now."

"That's a relief." the axe user said. "Finally this nightmare can be over."

"Hey! Is everyone alright?!"

The voice in the distance caused everyone to turn and look as a large group of players came running towards them. It was the members of Raven Wing, Kirito's guild.

"Hey, you guys did it." Asuna said with a smile as she waved to them. "We didn't lose anyone, did we?"

One of the members shook his head. "No, we had a few close calls though. Luckily, we got some help at the last minute."

Asuna tilted her head in confusion. "Help? What do you-" She suddenly noticed another player with her guild members. A female player with a red ponytail. "Who's this? I don't remember her."

"This player showed up during the fight with that dragon boss." one of them explained. "It was because of her we were able to get through that fight without any casualties."

The girl let out a giggle as she rubbed the back of her head. "Aw, you're gonna make me blush. If I'm being honest though, I was really just hoping to see if I could find a few trinkets to grab in this castle."

"I take it you're a mid-level player then?" Kirito asked. "Shouldn't you have been with the Holy Dragon Alliance and the others fighting that large army of knights?"

"Well I didn't want the others getting to any possible treasures before me. The front line players can be pretty greedy sometimes. But I did wait until everything was mostly under control before making my escape." she explained. "The name's Dagger, merchant extraordinaire."

"Wait… Dagger?" Asuna asked. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

"That's because the front lines have been looking for her." Kirito said, walking up to Asuna's side. "She's suspected of scamming several front line players and a large amount of others too."

Dagger let out a nervous chuckle as all eyes fell on her. "O-Oh her…? Yeah that's a different Dagger? I've heard she's a real nasty piece of work, though she's apparently very pretty."

"Uh huh." Kirito said with a roll of his eyes. "Well this has been a rather desperate situation. And you did help save the lives of my guild members. So I'll let it slide this one time."

Dagger breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that. She looked over and noticed Helios staring in her direction. "Hey there handsome. You interested in some sweet deals I have?"

"Yeah, no thanks." Helios said. "I'm not some dumbass looking to get scammed."

"Then what where you staring for?" Olivia asked with a teasing smile. "You got a crush or something?"

"Y-Yeah right!" Helios told her. "Just shut up and go check is that girl managed to get the console to work. We're still on the clock, right?"

"Wow, good job at changing the topic." Riku said.

As the group shared a laugh at Helios's expense, Rin rushed through the doors to the console room. Inside she saw the stone slab in the center of the room. She ran up to it, glad to have reached it before time was up for all of them.

' _Finally.'_ Rin thought. ' _Ok so I just have to access this thing and everyone should be saved.'_

Rin tapped the stone and the top of it began to light up. A grin came to Rin's face as the lines of light formed a keyboard. Relief washed over her that she had done it, until a message window popped up.

Please input password

' _Password?'_ Rin asked herself as she stared at the window. ' _There wasn't anything said about a password?'_

Rin typed on the keyboard, putting in something random. An error message appeared, telling her the password was wrong and to try again.

"No… No, no, no, no, NO! Damnit, this isn't fair!" Rin shouted as she slammed her fist against the console. "How am I supposed to know some stupid password?!"

"Rin? What's wrong?" Lilly asked as she and Luna came into the room.

"I can't access the console!" Rin told them. "It says a password is required!"

"What?!" Lilly gasped. She rushed over to the console. "But there wasn't anything mentioned about a password."

"Can you think of anything Lilly? We don't have much time left." Rin asked.

Lilly shook her head. "I don't even know who made it. Without knowing who it is, the password could be anything?"

"What's going on?" Ren asked as he and Alice walked in. "Did we do it?"

"Rin says we need a password." Luna explained.

Ren and Alice's eyes widened. "Do we even get a hint?" Ren asked.

"No, it just says for us to put in a password."

Everyone stared at the console, racking their brains for what it could possibly be. Panic began to make its way into their heads.

"Rin… Lilly…" Luna asked. "Did we fail? Are we really gonna die?"

Lilly shook her head and kneeled down, embracing her sister with a hug. "No Luna. We're gonna get through this. I promise you, none of us will die."

Ren could see the tears of worry in Lilly's eyes as she hugged her sister. He looked at Alice. None of them had any clue what to do now. And if they couldn't figure it out before that timer hit zero, then they were all goners.

Suddenly, everyone began to feel the castle shake with a tremor. They all struggled to hold their balance as they wondered what was happening.

"What's going on? An earthquake?" Rin asked.

"But Aincrad's a castle in the sky. How could there be an earthquake?" Lilly said.

The tremor lasted for another few moments before subsiding. Everyone looked at each other to make sure everyone was ok.

"What was that about?" Alice asked.

"Sorry about that. I had to make a rather rushed entrance for myself given the circumstances." a new voice said.

All heads turned to the entrance of the room to see who it was. Rin and Lilly's eyes widened as the gasped at the identity of the new arrival.

Lilly was the first to get a word in once she got over her shock. "You're…"

* * *

In the control room for the server running the copy of Aincrad, Tohru walked back and forth. A lot of time had passed and he was beginning to grow impatient.

"Are you done extracting the data yet?" Tohru asked the man that had hired his group.

"Almost." he said. "Just another few minutes."

"Well hurry it up." Tohru sighed in frustration. "Damn Levi. Why hasn't that idiot reported in yet?"

The man typed away on the control system. The data download was slowly going up. Soon his plan would be a complete success.

Tsuneto Kurodake still remembered back when he had been on the development team for SAO. He had joined it to further his career. Being part of such a revolutionary masterpiece was sure to make him more well known. But everything changed when he had an epiphany.

In the world of Aincrad, there would be hundreds of players constantly fighting in that world. By measuring the mental activity of those players, he could use it as a basis for AI soldiers. The perfect training enemies for military personnel. He could see the future of VR, and by getting this jump on it he would make millions. So he had secretly added in a feature to the main server to measure how players acted and behaved. Of course, he hadn't told anyone else on the team about this, not even Kayaba himself.

When SAO launched and it was revealed to be a death game, Tsuneto was as shocked as everyone else. But his shock soon subsided and was replaced with incredible joy. If the players were fighting for their very lives instead of simple enjoyment, their mental data during battle would be that much more perfect for real life simulations. Once all of the heat had died down, he rushed for the server that he had used to collect the mental data. But when he got there however, it was gone. Nowhere to be found. Instead, he had found a momento from Kayaba, revealing that he had known Tsuneto's intentions all along and had hidden away the mental analyzing program elsewhere.

Rage. That was all Tsuneto felt at that moment. This data was going to make him rich. It was going to make him almost as famous as Kayaba. But in that one instance, it had all vanished. He searched high and low for locations Kayaba had gone to, but he never found the data. It had ruined him.

Then, one day decades later, he had found out about Yuggo's discovery and how he planned to create a replica of Aincrad with the AI data of every single SAO player.

The data that had been stolen from him by Kayaba, was being used as an attraction. It infuriated him almost as much as when he had found his data stolen from Kayaba in the first place. But at the very least, he could use this to collect the data himself. He would take back what he had made and get rid of the original. It was far too late for his data to be of much use to anyone with how far AI and VR technology had progressed but it was better than nothing.

 _95%...96%...97%_

' _Finally. I'll soon have back what was rightfully mine.'_ he thought to himself. ' _And that damn Kayaba isn't here to get in my way this time.'_

 _98%...99%...98%...97%_

His eyes widened. "What the? What's the meaning of this?"

"What now?" Tohru asked.

"The download. It's going back down. The data is being extracted."

"What?!" Tohru asked. "I thought you knew what you were doing!"

"I am! I don't know how this could be happening!"

As he tried to figure out the source for this error as the progress bar continued to decrease, a sudden window appeared on the monitor. On it was a message.

 _It's been a long time, Tsuneto Kurodake._

The man widened his eyes. How was his name known? And who was doing this in the first place? "What the hell is going on?! Is this some kind of joke?!"

 _The only joke here is what you're trying to accomplish._

Tsuneto's eyes widened. This person was listening to him. And they were hacked into the system, something that he had needed direct access to get into. "Who are you?! Explain this!"

 _I would think you'd know. After all, I stopped you from using this AI data in the past too._

The realization slowly hit Yuya as his body went stiff. "Impossible… No… No, you're supposed to be dead! You can't be Kayaba!"

 _You always were an ambitious one, Tsuneto. However, you were also the slowest on the uptake._

"Damnit!" Tsuneto shouted as he slammed his fist down. "No way! I refuse to let you steal this from me again! Do you have any idea how much I would have made selling off that AI data?!"

"Enough of this." Tohru said. "You're clearly not getting the data. We're getting out of here."

"NO!" Tsuneto yelled. "I cannot let things end like-"

Tohru cut Yuya off as he pointed his gun against the man's head. "You listen here. I don't give a damn about your stupid ambitions and whether they succeed or not. But I am not sitting around for the police to barge in an arrest us all! I am not going to prison because of a whiny little shit like you!" He turned to one of his men. "Get the order to everyone. We're pulling out, now."

Suddenly, the door to the room cracked open. Tohru thought it was one of his men returning, but when a small object was thrown in, his eyes widened.

"Stun grenade! Cover your-" his warning came too late however as the grenade went off, blinding all of them and putting them in a daze.

Shino took full advantage of the opportunity and rushed into the room with her officers. Within seconds, all of the mercenaries were disarmed and restrained.

"Illegal entry. Endangerment to the public. Gentlemen, you are under arrest for some very serious stuff." Shino said with a smirk.

"Gah, damnit all!" Tohru grunted, still dizzy from the stun grenade. "You'll pay for this."

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor." Shino said with a smirk. "I'm just placing you under arrest. I could let a personal friend of mine who's very pissed at you all right now have a swing at you, but I'm feeling merciful." she looked to her officers. "Get them out of here. And check on the hostages."

"Ugh… What the hell happened?" one of the hostage workers asked, under the effects of the stun grenade, as were all of them.

"Sorry about that? It was a stun grenade." Shino explained as she helped untie them. "It was the only way to take them down while ensuring no one got killed. The effects should wear off soon."

"No… no…" Tsuneto moaned as he was handcuffed. "It wasn't supposed to go like this…"

"Yeah, I hear that a lot." Shino said. "Sorry to disappoint you. But don't worry, you can tell all your new friends how it was supposed to go in prison."

As the mercenaries were being taken out of the room, Shino went over to the monitor where her technical officers were working. "How's it going?"

"I can't believe someone would do something this crazy." one of them said. "But it shouldn't be too difficult a fix. We're getting everything back in order, and the players should be able to log out soon."

"Make sure to wait until we have confirmation that the two others in the diving room have been dealt with." Shino said. "What about the deadline that was mentioned? Were you able to get rid of it?"

"That's the thing, chief. It was already gone by the time we started. Maybe they were bluffing about it?"

"Who knows. We can ask them later at the station. As long as the players are safe, that's what's important." Shino stepped away and let out a sigh of relief. ' _Thank god Alicia's kids are safe. I don't think I would have had the heart to break the news to her.'_

Now all that was left was to wrap this nightmare up. And boy was she going to have some questions for this group later.

* * *

"There. That should do it." the new arrival said as he stepped away from the console. "Such simple programing. It's almost sad that Tsuneto was only able to come up with this."

"I can't say we were expecting you to come." Rin said.

Lilly nodded her head in agreement. "What are you doing here anyway, Akihiko Kayaba?"

"Would you believe me if I said I genuinely just wanted to help?" Kayaba asked. The stare Rin and Lilly gave him was all the answer he needed as he chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't either. In truth, this was for personal reasons. The person behind this mess is someone I know. And frankly, I'm insulted that he would make such an unfair game. So I decided to mess with his plans."

"Not that we're ungrateful, but isn't that a bit… childish?"

"Would you rather I have done nothing and let you all die?" Kayaba asked. A long moment of silence followed. "I thought not."

"So… you're Akihiko Kayaba?" the AI Ren asked. "The one from the real world?"

"In a sense, yes." Kayaba answered. "The me in the real world died long ago. I'm more of a… virtual ghost if you will." The virtual scientist turned to a window in the room. "Now then, I believe my part in this is done. I'll be on my way."

Before anyone could say another word, Kayaba dissolved into nothing, leaving not a trace behind. Now it was just them.

Deciding to see if things really were over, Rin opened her menu. She pressed the log out tab and found it functioning normally. "Hey, we can log out now!"

"Really?!" Luna exclaimed. "Yay! We can go home!"

"That's good to hear." The AI Alice told them. "Well then, you three best get going. I'm sure your parents are worried."

"Yeah…" Rin said. "Look, there's something we should tell you."

Lilly nodded in agreement with her sister. "The thing is…"

"No need. We already pieced it together." Alice told them. She and Ren smiled as they looked at the three sisters. "Even if you're not from this world, we're both proud to see how strong our kids have become."

"Ren… Alice…" Lilly said. She shook her head. "No. Mom and dad. Thank you for everything."

Luna ran up to the AI versions of her parents and hugged them. "We'll miss you. Mama. Papa."

"There's no need. You'll have the versions of us in your world." Ren told her. "So go home to them. And let them know how much you love them."

Tears began to form in their eyes. Lilly walked back over to her sisters as the three of them prepared to log out. They all waved goodbye to each other. Slowly, Rin, Lilly, and Luna became veiled in light as their avatars vanished from the copied Aincrad.

* * *

Lilly slowly opened her eyes as she found herself back in the real world. She didn't dar move a muscle. Even though they had managed to escape from Aincrad, there was still the threat of the armed men in the room. If she opened her pod, she'd be in danger. Of course, the person that started all this had said that they'd be left unharmed if they got to the console in time, but she doubted they could be trusted, especially since it seemed they never planned on giving them a winning chance from the start.

Suddenly, Lilly heard the faint sound of footsteps. Probably one of the armed men checking the pods. She quickly closed her eyes and prayed.

' _Maybe I can fool them into thinking I'm still diving. But they'll notice the dive function is off. What do I do? Think!'_

Lilly didn't dare open her eyes as she heard the footsteps stop right by her pod. She felt a cold sweat go down her back. ' _No… somebody help me… Mom…'_

As her pod opened up, Lilly feared the worst. But instead of a gunshot, she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Slowly, Lilly peeked her eyes open. Relief washed over her when she saw a police officer standing in front of her.

"It's alright." the officer said. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

Lilly emerged from her pod. Looking over in the distance, she saw two men handcuffed and being walked out of the room. Next to her, she saw Rin and Luna coming out of their pods as well.

' _It's really over…'_ Lilly thought to herself. ' _Thank goodness.'_

The three sisters were escorted out of the room, along with the others that were diving and being held hostage in the room. Almost immediately after they came into the main lobby, they spotted their mother who ran over to them.

"Rin! Lilly! Luna!" Alicia called out.

"Mama!" Luna cried as she and her sisters ran to her.

Alicia held her three kids close as tears rolled down her cheeks. "You're alright! Thank god you three are alright!"

"We're fine mom." Rin assured her, hugging her mom back.

"I was so worried." Alicia said.

It took some time before everything was put back in order. After some questioning from the police, people were allowed to leave. Yuggo walked up to Alicia and her family. "It seems that the person behind all this was a coworker of mine from when I worked on the SAO project with Kayaba." he explained. "I never would have suspected him of something this horrific. It's a miracle no one was killed."

"That's for sure." Lilly agreed.

"The players were all able to log out before we even had the chance to forcibly log everyone out." Yuggo said. "I can only assume this means you managed to reach the console in time?"

The three girls didn't really know how to answer. It was true that they had reached the console before time was up, but in the end it was Kayaba that freed them all. Explaining that would become a bit tricky.

But then an idea popped into Lilly's head.

"You bet. We got there and shut everything down with just enough time to spare." she said. Rin and Luna glanced at their sister, wondering what she was doing. "A bunch of the AI players fought with us in storming through the Ruby Palace. Although… some of them found out about the truth of that world. I wouldn't be surprised if word spread amongst the AIs before long and everyone becomes aware of it."

Yuggo let out a sigh. "Just my luck. Well I guess I'll have to do a memory wipe on them then and start their time over in Aincrad back from the start."

"Actually, I had a different idea in mind." Lilly said.

Rin saw where her sister was going with this as she grinned. "Yeah. And considering we managed to save all the AIs, wouldn't you say you owe us a favor?"

"Mhm." Luna nodded in agreement.

Yuggo narrowed his eyes. "Well… you're not entirely wrong there. But what kind of favor did you have in mind? I can't just convince the company to get rid of the entire project and let the AIs live as they please."

"Actually, I think you can." Lilly said. "There's a way we can do this where people can still log into the copy version of Aincrad as an attraction, while letting the AIs keep all their memories."

* * *

 _-Two weeks later-_

"Rin! Lilly! Luna! Breakfast!" Alicia called out.

The three sisters quickly came downstairs at their mother's call and sat at the table. They quickly began eating the meal their mother had prepared for them. As they ate, Lilly scrolled through her tablet.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Lilly, you can put that away until after you've finished eating you know."

"Hold on a second. I'm checking out about Mr. Shinito's project. It just went live again today." Lilly explained. "There's an article about it online."

"Really? Let me see." Rin said as she leaned over and looked at it. "Wow. did they implement all the new changes you suggested Lilly?"

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. and some new stuff too." She looked over at her mother. "It seems they used some help from a government project. Something called the Underworld."

"What's that?" Rin asked.

"Some VR project that started a long time ago. It doesn't give much details though." Lilly said as she read.

"I doubt they would." Alicia said. "That was a top secret project. I'm surprised it was used to help for this."

"You know about it, mom?" Lilly asked. "What was it?"

"It's a long, LONG story sweetie." Alicia told her. "I'll tell you all another time."

Lilly continued to read the article. "It says here that they used theories and technology from the Underworld project in the new update. The death penalty of losing your memories is gone too. The AIs can actually age and even have children even."

"AIs having kids?" Rin asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Luna asked with a tilt of her head. "Are babies unable to be born in the virtual world?"

Luna's question put both of her sisters in a bit of an awkward situation. Rin scratched her head. "Um… well… you should probably ask mom about it! Yeah, that's a good idea!"

Lilly nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah! Anyway, I'm stuffed from that breakfast. Thanks mom, bye!"

"Hey wait!" Alicia called out but her plea fell on deaf ears as both Rin and Lilly rushed out of the kitchen.

"Come to think of it, I asked you once before, right Mama?" Luna asked. "How are babies made?"

Alicia tried to hide the awkwardness she was feeling right now and put on a smile. "Like I said Luna, I'll tell you when you're older."

She could only hope that day was still a long way off.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the virtual copy of Aincrad, the AI Ren and Alice sat together in a small house on the Floor 17 town of Lunet. Alice rested her head on Ren's shoulder, a ring on the finger of each of them.

"I wonder how those three are doing." Alice said.

"Me too." Ren nodded.

With everything that had happened, lots of players had given up on the front lines. After all, there was no way out of this world with the truth out there. A bit of panic had spread around at first, but the players managed to adjust quickly. After all, this was the world where they had truly been born into. Now those fighting to clear floors were ones that went for the thrill and the glory. Even Ren and Alice had decided to fight in boss raids on occasion with no risk to their lives or memories now.

"So is Helios still hanging out with that redhead he met? Dagger, right?" Alice asked.

Ren nodded his head. "Yeah. he said he'd be going on a date with her today."

"Those two do sure make an odd couple. But at least they make each other happy." Alice said. Next to the black haired girl, she rocked a crib with a small infant in it. "Speaking of which, how long till you think they have a small bundle of joy like ours?"

Ren let out a nervous chuckle. "Not sure how to picture Helios as a dad."

Alice giggled in agreement. She looked down at her baby in the crib. "I wonder what those three will think of when they see her. Do you think they'll be surprised?"

"I'd bet on yes." Ren said. "And I'm sure she'll grow up to be just as strong and kind as they are."

 **A/N: Well that's the end of this arc everybody. Next chapter will be the start of a new arc but it'll be more real world and drama focused, since this last one was a life and death fight. Stay tuned.**


	63. Finding Your Voice

**A/N: Hey readers. Sorry for the late update. Was out on vacation for a little more than a week, so I didn't have much time to write. Sadly this is a short chapter but there will be an important note at the end. Enjoy.**

Akane hummed to herself as she walked to school. Going to school had actually gotten pleasant for the red haired girl ever since the media's attention on her had died down. Even at school itself, very few people seemed to care much about her idol background nowadays. Everyone had gotten used to it.

Of course, her idol background still made some students feel awkward around her. But at least she had Lilly and her other friends that like her for who she was.

Speaking of Lilly, Akane spotted the ponytailed brunette by the school gate as she was walking up. She called out to her friend as she waved over to her. "Hey Lilly!"

Lilly turned to Akane and greeted her with a smile. "Hi Akane. Good morning."

"Did you hear the news, by the way? About the next book in the Mary Potter series?" Akane asked.

A big grin came to Lilly's face. "You bet I did. Order of the Raven. This is going to be the best one yet!"

"It should be coming out next month! I'm so excited!" the red haired girl squealed.

"Me too!" Lilly agreed. "Well, we better get going to homeroom. Don't want to be late."

"Right." Akane nodded in agreement.

The two girls headed into the school building. Lilly arrived in homeroom and sat down in her seat. She chatted a bit with friends as they waited for homeroom to start. Not long after the bell rang, the teacher walked in and began the morning announcements. It was mostly the usual trivial stuff. But at the end, there was one announcement that Lilly overheard.

"Also a quick reminder students. The school-wide singing competition is in two weeks. Sign ups are due by this Friday in the main office."

' _The singing competition. I guess it is the time of the year for that, now that I think about it.'_ Lilly thought. She was never overly interested in these kinds of events. She stood out more in academics than anything.

Soon classes for the day began. Lilly listened intently as always to the lectures as she took notes. A thought about the singing competition crossed her mind though.

' _Come to think of it, it's Akane's first year here. Maybe she'll want to enter the competition.'_

* * *

"Singing competition?" Akane questioned. "Yeah… I think I'm gonna pass."

"What? Why?" Lilly asked.

It was after school and Lilly was sitting in the school cafeteria with her sister Rin, as well as Akane, Yui, and Strea. The five girls sat together and worked on homework. But during their discussion, Lilly had brought up the annual singing competition for the school.

"Don't get me wrong. It'd be nice to sing in front of a large crowd again." Akane said. "But, it's a small school event. If I entered, I'd feel like I was overshadowing everyone else. It wouldn't be fair."

"I suppose that makes sense." Yui said. "It's a shame though. You'd do so well."

"Who's signed up for it already?" Rin asked.

"About ten or so people I think. There's rarely too many signed up for big competitions like these." Yui said.

"I did notice one name on the list though." Strea grumbled. "Madoka."

The group groaned at the mention of the bully. "Figures she'd sign up. She'll do anything to get attention." Lilly said.

"Why is she such a jerk anyway?" Akane asked.

"Search me." Yui shrugged. "I mostly try to avoid her whenever possible."

"I heard rumors she's bribed and blackmailed a few students from entering the singing competition actually." Rin said. "Figures she'd do whatever it takes to win."

Glancing over towards the entrance to the cafeteria, Lilly's eyes widened and followed with a groan. "Speak of the devil."

All heads turned to where Lilly was looking and frowned as they saw Madoka enter the cafeteria. She spotted the group and walked over to them with her usual smug grin.

"Well, well, look who it is." Madoka said.

"Get lost, Madoka." Rin said.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? Just making conversation." she said.

"Just say whatever it is you came here for. We've got better things to do than deal with you." Akane told her.

Madoka turned her gaze towards the red haired girl. "I'm sure you've heard about the upcoming singing competition. I'm surprised I haven't seen your name on the signup list"

"I'm not interested." Akane said.

"Really?" Madoka asked. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Saves me the trouble of keeping you out of the competition."

Akane was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Is it really true? That you're blackmailing and bribing other students?"

Madoka shrugged. "So what if I am? I don't see how that's any of your business." The bully turned and walked away. "Well anyway, I've got better things to do than waste my time with you losers. See ya."

Akane couldn't stand it. The way Madoka always acted so pompous. As if everyone was beneath her. No one deserved to be treated the way she treated others.

And she'd be damned if she let someone like her get the glory of winning the singing competition like this.

"You know what, I change my mind!" Akane said as she stood up. Her friends and Madoka all turned their heads and looked at her. "I'm entering the singing competition! And I'm going to win!"

Madoka blinked in surprise before smirking. "Oh? You sure you want to do that?"

"Go ahead and try and blackmail me if you want." Akane said. "It'll just show that you have no confidence that you can beat me."

Akane's comment caused Madoka to shoot a glare at her. "What was that?"

Akane smirked back at the bully. "Go ahead. Want to show everyone what a coward you are? Be my guest."

Silence followed as everyone waited for Madoka's response. Finally she turned and looked away from Akane and the others. "Whatever. You're nothing but an out of practice idol. I can beat you easy."

Watching as Madoka left the cafeteria, the others looked back to Akane. "Are you sure about this Akane? What about what you said earlier?" Yui asked.

"I refuse to let a cheater like Madoka win this." Akane explained. "It's time she was put in her place."

"I have to admit, it was impressive the way you managed to get Madoka to not blackmail you by provoking her." Lilly mentioned.

Akane rubbed the back of her head. "Well… to be honest I just thought about what you'd do Lilly. You're always so sharp and all."

Suddenly, an idea popped into Rin's mind. "You know what'd really get to Madoka? If she lost to not just one, but two of us."

Yui narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well Akane beating her would be something she'd shrug off quickly, using Akane's idol experience as an excuse." Rin explained. She then put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "But what if Lilly were to also place higher than her?"

Lilly's eyes widened. "Wh-What?! Me?! In the singing competition?!"

"That's a great idea!" Akane said as her eyes gleamed.

Lilly's cheeks turned red as all of her friends stared at her. "I don't know… I'm not that great of a singer."

"It'll be fine. I can coach you. I've got plenty of experience." Akane told her. "Please Lilly! I'll feel a lot more comfortable about this competition if you're in it with me!"

Strea grinned. "Plus, think of Madoka. She'd never be able to live this down."

Lilly couldn't deny her friend's point. Madoka had done so much to torment her and make her life hell at school. Getting back at her like this would be the perfect way. But at the same time, the thought of singing up on stage in front of a crowd made her nervous.

But the pleading eyes from Akane were what won her over in the end. Lilly let out a sigh. "Alright, fine."

"Yes!" Akane cheered as she did a small leap of victory. "We can go to my place after school each day and practice."

"Are you sure your aunt will be alright with that?" Lilly asked.

"Oh sure. She's actually been wanting to meet some of my friends for awhile now anyway." Akane explained. "We can start tomorrow if that's ok with you."

"Well if I'm entering to win, best practice as much as I can." Lilly said. "I'll be sure to keep my afternoons open."

* * *

"Aunt Mikuru! I'm home!" Akane called out.

"Welcome home Akane dear." Mikuru said as she came to greet her niece. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Akane nodded her head. "Yeah."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're really fitting in at your new school."

"Umm… Aunt Mikuru?" Akane asked. "Is it ok if I bring a friend over after school? It might be a regular thing for the next week or so."

Mikuru's eyes widened. "A friend? You're bringing a friend over here?"

"If it's no ok with you, then I can always-"

"Are you kidding, of course it's alright!" Mikuru exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so happy you finally have a friend you're comfortable with bringing here!" She looked happily at her niece. "So why the sudden change of heart?"

Akane rubbed the back of her head. "Well… the thing is there's this singing competition in school and we both signed up. So I thought I'd give her some lessons and help her practice."

"A singing competition?" Mikuru asked. "I'm surprised. I thought you were taking a break from singing for the school year."

"It's just something for fun." Akane explained. "Anyway, I'm gonna head upstairs to my room. Call me when dinner's ready."

With that, Akane headed up to her room. She threw her bag on the floor and laid down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

' _It is true. I promised myself to stay out of any big stage events while at school.'_ Akane thought to herself. ' _But this isn't for myself. This is something I can do together with Lilly. Something fun. So it's alright. It's not like I'm going out there as Akimi.'_

The more she thought about it, the more Akane thought back to her idol self. There was the person she was on stage Akimi, as well as her other self Akane Migakuri.

' _Dad… I want to be able to sing where it feels like you're there with me.'_ Akane thought. ' _I really miss you. Would you approve of this?'_

The thoughts of the upcoming singing competition filled her thoughts. Even after dinner, she thought about it as she drifted off to sleep.

 **A/N: Yup so I thought I'd give some more of the spotlight to Akane since she hasn't had much time to shine yet. Now for the important note I mentioned. As you can all guess, there will be singing in this mini-arc. I wanted to hear from you all about any songs you might want to hear, and if you have an idea of who you might want to sing them. Feel free to drop a review or message me via PM with any song ideas you have in mind. They can be english or Japanese, even from anime. Just tell me the song title and the artist, or in the case of an anime song which anime its from.**

 **Looking forward to hearing your suggestions. Until next time readers.**


	64. The Perfect Melody

**A/N: Ok I'm going to apologize in advance for the really short chapter this time. This chapter gave me a bit of writer's block, so it's nowhere near as long as I'd like it to be. Sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.**

"Alright Lilly, try it like me." Akane said. "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do~"

Lilly nodded her head. "Ok, I'll try." She took a deep breath as she began. "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do~"

"Nice. You're singing is coming along well." Akane said. "By the way, have you figured out what song you're going to sing?"

"Not yet." Lilly said with a shake of her head. "I have a few ideas of songs I like, but I'm not sure which one to pick yet."

Akane nodded understandingly. "Alright. But you really should pick one out soon. There's a week and a half left before the competition. You'll need that time to learn the lyrics and how to sing the notes properly."

"Right." Lilly said. "Thanks again for your help, Akane. I wouldn't have made it nearly this far without your help."

"Don't mention it Lilly." Akane told her.

"Akane!" Mikuru called out from downstairs in the kitchen. "I have some snacks out for you and your friend whenever you want to take a break!"

"Thanks!" Akane called back downstairs. She looked over to her friend. "Well, you want to take a quick break?"

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. Sounds good."

The two girls went downstairs to the kitchen. On the table were a few snacks for them to enjoy.

"Thanks for the food." Lilly said.

"Oh it's no trouble at all dear." Mikuru said. "I'm just happy to see that Akane has a friend she's willing to invite over. She talks about you so often, you know."

"Aunt Mikuru, come on. You're embarrassing me." Akane said.

Mikuru giggled at her niece's blushing face. "Anyways Lilly, I want to thank you for looking after my niece for me. I was worried she wouldn't fit in at school once people found out who she was."

"It's no problem at all. Akane's a great friend." Lilly told the woman.

After they finished their snack break, the two girls went back up to Akane's room and continued practicing. Akane's lessons were really starting to get through, as Lilly's singing was coming along nicely. Another hour passed by before Lilly went home for the day. She waved goodbye to Akane and her aunt as she began her walk home.

"Such a nice girl." Mikuru said. "You're lucky to have such a good friend, Akane."

"Yeah." Akane agreed with a nod.

"So are you excited to sing again, after your long break for the school year?"

"Yeah. I mean… I guess…"

Mikuru raised a brow. "You guess?"

"It's just weird. For the longest time, I was singing up on large stages with sold out crowds." Akane explained. "This is just a school-wide competition. For fun. It feels a bit weird to do something like this after being a pop idol for so long."

"I see." Mikuru said. "Well, just remember. You started singing because you enjoyed it, didn't you? That's exactly what this is all about. And you're doing it with a friend too."

Akane thought about her aunt's words. "Yeah… You're right."

"You know it kiddo. Now head upstairs and make sure your homework is done. Schoolwork comes first after all. I'll call you down when it's time for dinner."

"Right. Thanks Aunt Mikuru." Akane said as she headed upstairs.

* * *

 **-The next day-**

Akane paid attention as her last class for the day went on. Throughout the day, she had heard whispers and gossip amongst the students. It seemed her entering in the singing competition had spread throughout the entire school. By the end of the day, tickets had practically been sold out.

On one hand, it was nice to see that people were excited to hear her sing. However, at the same time she felt like this was going to turn into another one of her concerts. And frankly that was the last thing she wanted.

She had also caught a glare or two from Madoka in the halls. Clearly she had no intentions of losing to the pop idol. But Akane glared right back. She couldn't stand the bully and hopefully this would put her in her place.

Once the bell rang, everyone dismissed themselves for the day. Akane left the classroom and went to the front gate to meet up with Lilly. As she exited the school, she found her friend waiting for her.

"Hey Akane!" Lilly greeted with a wave.

"Hey Lilly." Akane called back. She walked up to her friend. "So you all set to go?"

"Yup." Lilly nodded. "Also, I finally figured out what song I'm going to sing."

"Really?" Akane asked. "What is it?"

"Well, I thought about your advice a lot. You said you should choose a song that has deep meaning to me." Lilly explained. "But I really couldn't think of any songs like that. But then I remembered something from my mother's novels."

"Something from your mom's books? The ones about people who were in SAO?" Akane asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Mhm. And after a bit of digging and asking, I finally found what song I'm going to sing."

"That sounds interesting. So what is it?"

"I've got the lyrics to it with my school stuff." Lilly said as she went into her school bag and pulled out a set of paper sheets. She handed them to Akane. "Here, take a look."

Akane accepted the sheets of paper and looked at them as she and Lilly began walking to her house. The paper contained not only the lyrics, but also the notes to it. "I've never heard of this song. But whoever wrote it clearly knew what they were doing. This is amazing."

"I thought so. My mom really said she liked the song herself when she heard it for the first time." Lilly said. "Apparently it was written by someone who was in SAO, like her."

"This could work." Akane said. "Alright, we can go over the song in detail when we arrive at my place."

"Sounds like a plan." Lilly said as she took the music sheets back and put them away in her school bag. "What about you? What song are you going to sing?"

"Well… I can't sing any of the songs from my pop idol career without my agency's permission." Akane said. "And I don't want to get them involved. If word outside leaked that I was singing in this, there's no telling how much paparazzi would show up."

"Yeah… that does sound like it'd be more trouble than it's worth." Lilly agreed.

"It's fine though. I have a few songs in mind that I can sing no problem." Akane assured her friend.

The two girls continued to talk about various things as they walked home. How school was going. About the upcoming Mary Potter book and their favorite moments from previous ones. It went on and on until they finally reach Akane's house.

As they came up to the house, Akane noticed an extra car in the driveway. "Huh, that's odd. Who else would be here?"

"You think your aunt's got a hot date?" Lilly asked with a teasing nudge.

"Come on Lilly, don't get the wrong idea about my aunt." Akane said. "She's not dating anyone. Besides, she would have told me if she was inviting someone over."

"Alright, then who is it?"

Akane shrugged her shoulders. "No clue. I guess we'll find out soon though."

The two girls walked up to the front door of the house. Akane brought out the house key she kept and unlocked the door. She opened it up and walked inside with Lilly. "Aunt Mikuru! I'm home! Lilly's here too!"

"Oh! Akane! We're in the kitchen!"

Akane widened her eyes when she heard the voice. It wasn't her aunt's but she recognized it nonetheless. She tossed her school bag down and ran to the kitchen.

"Akane?!" Lilly questioned curiously as she ran after her friend. When she came into the kitchen with Akane, she found Mikuru there. But there was also another woman there. She had short hair, the same blonde color as Akane's.

"Oh there you are! How's my little Akimi doing?!"

Akane couldn't believe who it was. But there was no way she wouldn't recognize the woman standing in front of her. "Mom?!"

 **A/N: Again, sorry for how short this chapter was. To make up for it, I can promise that next chapter will be longer as I have a much clearer idea of what I'm doing next in this mini arc. And keep the song ideas coming if you have any. Some of them have been really interesting so far.**


	65. Memories of Music

**A/N: Not much to say this week readers. Hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

" _Daddy! Daddy!"_

" _What is it, sweetie?" Akane's father asked as his little girl ran up to him._

 _The young Akane smiled at her father brightly. "In music class today, the teacher really like my singing. She said I'm really good at it."_

" _That's excellent." the man said as he patted his daughter on the head. "And she's right. You really do have a beautiful voice, Akane."_

" _Hehehe." Hearing her father's words made Akane's smile grow even bigger. "Daddy, can you sing that song for me again? The one you wrote yourself?"_

 _Her father nodded his head. "Sure thing dear." He sat Akane on his lap and cleared his throat as he began to sing._

 _You gave me words of kindness_

 _You held me when I was lonely_

 _Sad things happened_

 _But together we shared_

 _the joy of early spring_

 _I searched for the words I wanted to leave behind_

 _for someone far away_

 _Before my time ended_

 _I simply repeated "Thank you"_

 _I hope that's the only thing that reaches your heart_

 _May my heart_

 _soar far through the sky_

 _and convey my smile to you_

 _A warmth_

 _that feels like the last traces_

 _of the fading spring_

 _If I can quietly_

 _just leave that inside you_

 _I'll smile for you_

 _Akane smiled and hummed softly along with the song. Even though people complimented her on her singing voice, it was her father's that was really amazing in her eyes. Just listening to him sing always seemed to make her feel at peace._

" _You're the best, daddy." Akane said as she hugged her father. "You think one day I'll be able to sing as well as you?"_

" _I know you will, sweetie." her father said. He tapped her on the chest. "As long as what you're singing comes from the heart."_

* * *

"M-Mom?! What are you doing here?!" Akane gasped.

"Now what kind of way is that to great your mother after not seeing her for so long?" her mother asked with a smile. "I'm glad to see your still as cute as ever, my darling little Akimi."

"Th-Thanks…" Akane said.

Akane's mother soon took notice of the girl with her. "Oh? And who might this be?"

"Oh right, I'm Lilly Hiryo." Lilly greeted with a bow. "I'm Akane's friend from school."

"I see." the woman said. She looked over at her daughter. "You are still practicing your singing every day, right? I don't want to see you getting rusty from slacking off."

"No need to worry, mom." Akane assured her. "A-Actually… Lilly asked to come along because she wanted to hear me sing. She's a really big fan of mine."

"Is that so?"

Lilly felt a nervous sweat go down her back. She glanced over at Akane, who gave her a pleading look as if to go along with it. "Y-Yes, I'm a super big fan! I was totally amazed when I found out the famous Akimi was coming to my school!"

Akane nodded her head. She grabbed Lilly by the hand and began to walk away. "Well then, if you'll excuse us-"

"One more thing, Akimi dear." her mother said. "I heard your school is having a singing competition soon. You are entering, right?"

Akane widened her eyes. "I wasn't aware that you knew about that."

"Well of course. I do get notices from the school, just like your Aunt Mikuru." she said. "Why didn't you tell me about it? You are entering, right?"

"... Yes mom." Akane said. "Actually, Lilly's planning to enter too. That's why she wanted to listen to me sing, so she can do well at it too."

Lilly noticed Akane's mother eye her slightly, a sight that made her stiffen up a bit. "Very well. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to practice too, Akimi."

"Right mom." Akane said. She walked out of the room with Lilly, making their way to her bedroom. Once she closed the door to her room, Akane let out a sigh. "I can't believe this is happening…"

"I know you've said your mom is strict, but wow. She was really intimidating when she looked at me." Lilly said.

"Sorry about her. And about making you go along with that story." Akane said.

"It's fine." Lilly assured her. "So then, should we start practicing?"

"Yeah…" Akane said in an unenthusiastic tone. "Sure thing."

"Akane? You alright?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm totally fine, I promise!" Akane said. "So let's get started."

For the next hour or two, Akane and Lilly practiced singing for the upcoming competition. Lilly took extra time, trying to memorize the lyrics for her song. But by the end of it, she was doing well. Akane on the other hand wasn't in the same peppy spirit she always seemed to be when singing. She couldn't put her heart into it, and Lilly could see that clearly. It wasn't hard to guess what had Akane in such a depressed mood.

Finally, when it was time to go, Lilly thanked Akane and her family for letting her come over before leaving for home. Akane waved goodbye to her friend, telling her she'd see her at school tomorrow.

"Well, it's about time that girl left." Akane's mother said. "I hope you haven't been training her too well dear. She is in this singing competition too, right?"

Mikuru scowled at her sister. "Now there is no need for that. Lilly is a sweet girl, and Akane's friend."

"Oh yes, I'm sure she's _quite_ friendly with her." the woman said. "So long as she gets what she wants from her."

Akane shook her head. "Mom, Lilly's not like that. She would never-"

"Kids your age can be very deceitful, dear." her mother said. "We can't have anyone upstaging you. We need to use this competition to bring the spotlight back on you. To show the nation that Akimi is still as good as ever."

"But mom, I-"

"Yes, we can make this a big event." Akane's mother said, ignoring her daughter. "And once you win first place, you can give some cute speech. And then you can announce your return as an idol once the school year is over."

Akane widened her eyes in surprise. "My what?"

Mikuru glared at her sister. "Akane dear, could you go upstairs for a bit. Your mother and I need to talk in private for a moment."

Akane did as she was told, heading up the stairs while her mother and aunt went into the kitchen. But she only got to the top of the stairs before stopping to overhear their conversation.

"I cannot believe you!" Mikuru shouted. "Why must you make everything involving Akane these days be one giant publicity stunt?!"

"Excuse me, but she is _my_ daughter last I checked." her mother retorted. "I am simply doing what is best for her future."

"By turning some little school competition into a way for you to promote Akane?! And did you even think of asking Akane what she thinks?!"

"The idol world is a cutthroat place Mikuru. If enough time passes away while she is in some silly regular school, people will forget all about Akimi. Even the media stopped trying to find out answers about her going to school within a couple months of her going there. And after I went to all the trouble of letting them know where she was going."

Akane widened her eyes as she heard this. Her mother had been the one that had leaked where she was going to school to the media? Even after she has specifically told her she wanted it to remain secret?

She could tell Mikuru was equally shocked by this information based on the pause of silence that followed before she responded. "You did what?! Do you have any idea what that was like for Akane?! How much she hated having the media try and hunt her down?!"

"Oh that was her just being foolish. If she was smart, she would have played it to her advantage."

"Her advantage?! Akane was TERRIFIED of simply walking home from school on her own for her first month there!" Mikuru let out a frustrated sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if you really care about Akane at all, or if it's just Akimi that matters to you."

"How dare you!" her mother shouted back. "Ugh, I knew it was a mistake to let her live here for the year. God knows what kind of foolish ideas you've been putting in my daughter's head."

"I am letting her live her life! Letting her be a kid! Is that something you're able to comprehend?! Or did that part of you die along with Haru?!"

A period of silence that seemed to last forever occured after that. Hearing her father's name mentioned like this brought tears to Akane's eyes.

" _Never_ use my husband's name like that again, do you hear me Mikuru?" Akane's mother sternly said. "When this school year is over, Akane is leaving here and she will be putting her focus back on her idol career. I will not let my daughter's future be ruined like this."

Akane's mother stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her. At the same time, Akane ran to her room and closed the door behind her. She collapsed into her bed and started crying.

She hated it all. Ever since she had become an idol, she hated the life it brought her. Singing was no longer something for her to simply enjoy. Her mother had stopped being a mother and acted more as a manager. Before this, she had always been able to enjoy singing with her father. But with his death, singing was never the same for her. There was one thing, and one thing only that she was thankful for getting as a result of becoming an idol.

Coming to the school she currently attended and meeting Lilly, Rin, Yui, and all of the people she was happy to call her friends.

"Mom… Why…" Akane muttered to herself. "Why can't you see what I want?"

* * *

 _An idol?_

 _When Akane had entered the small singing competition, she had never expected that her winning would get her recruited as a teen idol. On one hand, if her career really took off she wouldn't be able to live her usual normal life. She wouldn't be able to go to school. Most of her life would be practicing and traveling._

 _However, Akane also couldn't deny the benefits of being an idol. She could see just how hard being a single mother was on her mom financially. Having a job like this would greatly ease the burden on her, especially if she really became popular. Most of all, she'd be able to make a career out of what she loved doing most. Singing._

 _It had been hard for her to sing after her father tragically died that day. But he had always told her to follow her heart. And right now, her heart was telling her this was the right thing to do._

" _Hey… mom…?" Akane said as she walked up to her mother._

" _Yes? What is it Akane dear?" her mother asked as she prepared dinner in the kitchen._

" _I got a letter." Akane explained. "It was from a music agency. They saw my performance in that competition last month. And… they want to hire me as an idol."_

 _Hearing this caused her mother's eyes to widen. "An idol? Are you serious Akane?"_

 _Akane nodded her head as she showed her mother the letter. "Here. See for yourself."_

 _The woman read the letter that her daughter showed her. It all seemed legit to her and not some weird scam. She looked at her daughter. "So? What do you want to do?"_

" _I'm not really sure yet." Akane admitted. "I mean it would be really cool to be an idol. But I'd also be giving up a lot too, wouldn't I?"_

 _Her mother nodded. "Yes I won't lie. Being an idol is probably going to be very tough." She kneeled down and put a hand on her daughter's head. "But in the end, the choice is yours. No matter what you decide, I'll support you."_

" _Thanks mom." Akane smiled. "You know what… I think I'm going to give it a try. I don't know if I'll succeed, but I'll do my best. For you. And for dad too."_

 _A smile came to her mother's face as she pulled her daughter in for a hug. "I'm sure if your dad were here, he'd be so proud of you. Just remember, that he'll always be there with you. Inside your heart."_

 _Akane nodded her head as she hugged her mother back. "I will mom. I promise."_

 _That was one of the last times Akane could remember truly being happy together with her mother._

* * *

Akane walked out of class as the bell rang. In the halls, she had noticed a few posters advertising the singing competition happening at the end of the week. Although students were starting to see it less as a school-wide competition and more as a Akimi concert. It was the last thing she wanted, but there wasn't much she could do at this point. There was no telling how bad the uproar would be if she dropped out now, from the students or her mother.

"Hey, Akane!" Lilly's voice snapped the teen out of her thoughts as she saw her friend waving to her by the school gate. "You ready to get going?"

"... Sorry Lilly." Akane said. "But I'm just not in the mood today. Think we can continue tomorrow instead?"

Lilly blinked her eyes in surprise. She could tell through how depressed her friend seemed. "Yeah… Sure thing."

"Thanks Lilly." Akane said, her depressed tone not lessening.

"Akane… are you alright?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Akane said. She walked past her friend and began to make her way home. "See you tomorrow."

With their practice for the day cancelled, Lilly went home with her sister. She couldn't help but worry for Akane, especially after her mother showing up yesterday. All she could do now though was hope her friend would be in better spirits tomorrow.

No such luck existed though as the next day, Akane cancelled practice between them yet again. The same happened the day after that. And before she knew it, it was the night of the singing competition.

 **A/N: As I'm sure most of you can guess, next chapter will be the finale of this mini-arc. Look forward to what's to come with it. Also, there's still time for any of you to send song suggestions to me via review or PM. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.**


	66. A Song Passed Down

**A/N: Hey readers. Time for the finale of the latest arc. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Lilly looked at herself in the mirror. Finally it was time for the school singing competition. Despite Akane's lack of wanting to practice the past few days, Lilly had been practicing herself, using everything she had learned from Akane. And now she was all dressed up for the occasion. She wore a bright yellow dress that she saved for formal events.

' _I hope I do well.'_ Lilly thought to herself. ' _It would be a shame if this was all a waste.'_

Soon a knock was heard at the door to the teen's bedroom. The door peeked open as Alicia entered the room. A smile came to her face as she saw her daughter. "Oh Lilly, you look so beautiful."

"Thanks mom." Lilly said with a smile.

"Are you almost ready to go?" her mother asked.

Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah. All set."

Lilly followed her mother as they both walked downstairs. The rest of her family was gathered, waiting for her. Luna's eyes sparkled as she looked at her sister. "Wow Lilly, you're so pretty!"

Lilly patted her little sister's head at the compliment. "Thanks Luna."

"Get ready to knock 'em dead, sis." Rin said with a thumbs up.

With everyone all set, the family piled into Dan's car as they drove off towards the high school. As they rode, Lilly couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She was pretty confident in her singing after the practice she had done, but singing in front of a large crowd was still something she was completely unused to. She wondered if Akane had been the same way when starting off as an idol.

"So Akane's gonna be singing too, right?" Luna asked as they rode there.

"Well that _is_ the main reason the show got sold out." Rin commented. "Guess it was a nice way to get a cheap Akimi concert."

"Huh? What's with this huge crowd?" Dan asked suddenly.

Lilly and her sisters took a look out the window to see what their father was talking about. Right by the school, there were several journalists and whatnot gathered around.

"Seems even the media got wind of this." Alicia said.

' _Akane's mom, no doubt.'_ Lilly thought silently to herself.

"It's gonna take some time to park at this rate Dan said as he pulled over. "Lilly, you get out and head to the stage to get ready. We'll find a parking spot and go get some seats afterwards."

"I'll go with her." Rin offered.

With that, Lilly and Rin exited their father's car while Dan drove off in search of an open spot. The two girls slipped past the media personnel and got inside the school. They both made their way to the auditorium where the event would be taking place.

"So you ready to crush Madoka in this?" Rin grinned.

"Right now, I'm just gonna focus on doing my best. But beating that jerk would be a nice bonus." Lilly replied.

Finally the two girls made it backstage. There were a handful of other students gathered to compete tonight. As Lilly looked around at her competition, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Hey Lilly!"

"Akane!" Lilly waved with a smile as her friend walked over to her. "You ready for this?"

Akane nodded her head. "You bet. It's not like it's the first time I've sung out on stage. Although-"

"A-ki-mi! A-ki-mi! A-ki-mi!" The sound of cheering could be heard from the crowd out behind the curtain.

"-I do wish I could do this without _that_." Akane finished.

"They sure are loud." Rin commented.

"Oh Akimi! Over here darling!" Akane's mother called out, waving to her daughter to come over.

Akane let out a sigh. "Sorry, I gotta go. Good luck on your song, Lilly."

Rin and Lilly waved goodbye to Akane as the idol walked away from them and over to her mother. "Sorry about that mom. I was just talking to my friends."

"What did I tell you earlier, young lady?" her mother said. "You don't have friends when it comes to this. That girl is another competitor, and that makes her an enemy."

"But-"

"In any case, we've got more important things to focus on. I made some calls, and now you'll have a huge crowd out there. So make sure to wow them with your performance." her mother told her. "And when you win first prize, you can announce to everyone that you'll be making your return as an idol. It'll make headline news for sure!"

"... Yes mother." Akane said with a frown.

"I'm going to go to my seat. I'm expecting great things from you, my little Akimi." her mother said as she walked away.

Akane sighed. This was really the only thing her mother cared about nowadays, wasn't it? She sometimes wondered if she even viewed her as a daughter anymore.

' _Well winning first place shouldn't be too hard. Madoka did bribe and blackmail most of the school's better singers after all.'_ Akane thought. ' _I just hope the others here aren't people that know nothing about singing.'_

* * *

"Geez, she really is tone deaf, isn't she?" Rin commented as they listened to the student currently on stage.

Lilly wanted to be kind and say that her sister was exaggerating, but there really was no other way to put it without it being a complete lie. Eventually, when the song finally ended, they were pretty sure the audience's applause was more for it finally being over rather than giving praise to the student's performance.

"So when are you performing, Lilly?" Rin asked.

"Well Madoka is up next." Lilly said. "I'm the second to go after her."

"Did somebody call me?"

Lilly and Rin both groaned as they turned and saw Madoka coming over their way. The female bully had her usual smug smirk on her face, as she held a glass of water in her hand.

"Get lost, Madoka." Rin said with a scowl.

"Now that's certainly a hateful thing to say to the one that's going to win this competition." Madoka said pompously. "I'm surprised you had the guts to come Lilly. No one would blame a talentless nerd like you realizing that they couldn't win."

"Please. Lilly's gonna destroy you." Rin told her. "And unlike you, Lilly didn't have to bribe and blackmail the competition."

Madoka showed a quick glare, but hid it before anything else could be said. She shrugged her shoulders and smirked. "We'll see." She walked past the two sisters and "accidentally" stumbled, spilling the water on Lilly and her dress.

"Ahh!" Lilly exclaimed as she looked down at her dress, completely wet.

"Opps. I am SO sorry." Madoka said with a fake apologetic look on her face. "Clumsy me."

Rin gasped, unable to believe what had just happened. There was no way Lilly could go on stage with her dress ruined like that. And it would take far too long to dry. "Madoka, you unbelievable piece of-"

"Hey, I said it was an accident." Madoka shrugged. "And what exactly will you do, Rin? Attack me? I'm sure the judges will find it _very_ interesting if the sister of a competitor assaulted another student participating in this."

"Lilly!" Akane exclaimed as she ran over to her friend. One look at Lilly's dress and Madoka standing right there told her all she needed to know as she glared over at Madoka. "What did you do?!"

"What's with all these baseless accusations? She can still go on stage and sing, can't she?" Madoka said. "Of course, how good her chances of winning might be a bit hindered with that look."

"This is an all new low for you." Akane said.

"Madoka Kirisugu, you're up." one of the teachers called out. "Madoka Kirisugu, please stand by."

"Looks like I'm up. Gotta go." Madoka said mockingly as she walked away. "Good luck Lilly. I'm sure you'll really wow the crowd out there, hahaha!"

Rin clenched her fists as Madoka walked away. "When I get my hands on that bitch, I'm going to-"

"Don't bother." Lilly said. Both Rin and Akane turned to her. She tried to stay upbeat, but it was clear to both of them how depressed she was right now. "It's fine… It's not like I really had any chance at winning anyway."

Akane looked at her friend, never seeing her this depressed before in her life. "Lilly…"

"What are you saying?" Rin asked. "Lilly, think about how hard you practiced for this! You can't just let Madoka get away with this and call it quits."

"What else can I do?!" Lilly argued. "Madoka's right, we can't do anything to her! Otherwise, I'll be disqualified! And I can't go out there like this! Let's face it, I lost!"

"But Lilly…"

"Look Rin, just forget it and-" Lilly was cut off as Akane grabbed her by the arm. "A-Akane?"

"You're on after the person that goes after Madoka, right?" Akane said.

"What are you-"

"Just answer the question!"

Lilly nodded her head. "Y-Yes. Or at least I would be, but-"

"Then that gives us a few minutes. That should be enough." Akane said. She looked over at Rin. "If we're not back in time, stall for us. Just make something up that'll buy us a couple minutes."

"Akane, what are you-" Lilly didn't get to say anything else as Akane quickly dragged her away off backstage and into the school hallway.

Rin blinked in surprise, having no idea what Akane was planning. She also had no idea what she was going to do if it came to her having to stall for her sister and Akane.

Over by the stage, she could hear Madoka singing to the crowd. She hated to admit it but the girl wasn't half bad. But she knew Lilly could beat her in this. The only question was how did Akane plan on making that happen.

When Madoka finished her song and the next student went on stage, Rin silently prayed from Lilly and Akane to hurry. Madoka stood in the back stage. Not seeing Lilly brought a smirk to her lips, but there was also the fact that Akane was missing.

' _Come on you two. Hurry up.'_

A few minutes passed by before the next student was finally done with their performance. One of the teachers called out to the group of students backstage. "Lilly Hiryo, you're up. Please stand by."

A nervous sweat went down the back of Rin's neck. ' _Well, I guess it's up to me now. I'll have to-'_

"Here! I'm here!"

Hearing her sister's voice, Rin turned towards the back entrance and saw Lilly rush un. Her eyes widened when she saw her though. The dress Lilly had been wearing was gone, and replaced by one that was a beautiful shade of red. There was no mistaking it. It was the exact same dress Akane had been wearing.

Madoka was also surprised by Lilly's new outfit as the girl made her way over to the teacher. As Lilly went out on stage, Rin noticed Akane come in. And to add more to her surprise, she was wearing Lilly's dress.

"Akane, why are you wearing that?" Rin asked.

"I brought Lilly over to the bathroom and had us both swap dresses. Lilly was against it at first, but I managed to get her to come around." Akane explained. "Good thing we're both close to the same size."

"Are you stupid?" Madoka asked as she walked over. "If you go out there wearing that dress, then you'll be the one that gets humiliated instead."

"No need. I'm dropping out." Akane shrugged.

Both Rin and Madoka blinked in surprise. Madoka soon broke out into laughter. "You're dropping out?! Oh that's rich! You might as well hand me first place right now by doing that."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Akane smirked. "You haven't heard Lilly sing. She's got one thing you'll never have when it comes to that."

Madoka rolled her eyes. "And pray tell, what is that?"

"Heart." Akane said.

Out on stage, Lilly stood in front of the large crowd. She took a deep breath as she looked out at the crowd.

"The song I'm about to sing is one I doubt most of you have ever heard." Lilly told the audience. "You see, years ago my parents were both in the death game known as Sword Art Online. And they met someone there that was an amazing singer. However, she unfortunately lost her life and never got the chance to sing on a stage like this. So I want to honor her memory by singing a song she wrote to you all."

In the crowd, both Dan and Alicia showed a small smile. They remembered Lilly coming to them about their friend and the idea she had. They were both more than happy to help out, and with some help got the music for the song Lilly was about to sing.

' _Are you watching this Historia?'_ Alicia thought silently. ' _I know you would have loved the chance to do this yourself, but please watch over Lilly as she lets all these people know about your beautiful music.'_

Slowly the music began to play. Lilly took a deep breath as she began to sing.

 _I was never right, for the hero type of role_

 _I admit it with my heart_

 _Shivering in fear_

 _I can see today's reflected in each past tear_

 _Even so_

 _It has been calling the heavens to me_

 _But I cannot hide_

 _All the emptiness inside_

 _My fleeting heart_

 _Once in my dreams, I rose and soared_

 _No matter how I'm knocked around_

 _Or beaten down_

 _I will stand up restored_

 _All of my love has yet to wake_

 _I know your strength is what I lack_

 _You've got my back_

 _And know that I've got yours_

 _I have you to thank for lighting up the dark_

 _Because you're here with me_

 _Our dreams will soar free_

 _For-ev-er_

 _I want to always be with you_

 _I'll give you everything I have_

As Lilly continued to sing, Akane closed her eyes and listened to her friend. She knew the second that Lilly showed her the song that she would be able to sing it perfectly. The most important thing when singing was to have a connection to the song you sang. And with that at her side, Lilly would be able to do the original writer of the song proud.

Rin grinned to herself. She knew Lilly had been practicing for the better part of two weeks with this song. And now all that hard work was paying off. She couldn't be prouder of her sister right now.

Madoka huffed and looked away. "She's not _that_ good." she said, though she was mostly trying to convince herself that.

When Lilly was finally done, she walked backstage and met up with her sister and Akane. Both girls were grinning at her.

"You were awesome out there, Lilly!" rin told her.

"You really think so?" she asked.

"If you don't believe us, listen to the crowd." Akane said, hearing the large applause for the teen girl's performance.

Lilly giggled to herself. Hearing everyone cheer for her and congratulate her on her singing had made all those days of practice worth it.

"If you want, we can switch dresses again." Lilly offered to Akane. "There should be enough time before you have to go on."

Akane shook her head. "Thanks but no. I'm just going to drop out of this. It's better this way."

"But-"

"Seriously Lilly, it's fine." Akane told her. "To be honest, ever since my mother got involved, this competition lost a lot of meaning to me."

"If you're sure…" Lilly said.

The competition continued on as normal with students continuing to go out and sing one by one. When it came time for Akane to sing however, the organizers were forced to go out on stage and announce that she had decided to retire from the competition. Needless to say, the audience did not take it well. Booing and hissing was heard from around the seats. It wasn't hard to believe, considering Akane entering had been the main reason for a majority of the people coming here.

After managing to calm the crowd down, the show continued on. Before long, it was time to announce the results. They started with third place, and went onto first. Madoka widened her eyes in shock when she received second place. But when first place was announced, she looked practically mortified.

"And first place goes to… Lilly Hiryo!"

Lilly had a hard time actually believing it. She had actually managed to come in first place. Of course she knew this was in large part to Akane dropping out. If Akane had actually sung, she would have won first easily.

After the awards were handed out, Madoka stormed off, most likely to sulk about her loss in the competition. Lilly's family met with her backstage to congratulate her on winning.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." Alicia told her daughter. "You worked really hard for this."

"Thanks mom." Lilly said with a smile. As her family was praising her, Lilly noticed Akane in a different part of the room. Her mother was also there and if the expression on her face was anything to go by, she was not happy.

"What were you thinking?! How could you drop out of the competition?! And why was that girl wearing your dress?!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry mom." Akane said. "But Lilly's dress got ruined. And I wanted to help her and-"

"What have I told you?! The idol world has no place for charity like that! Now what do you think all the journalists are going to think?!"

"Well that was-"

"I don't want to hear excuses, young lady! It's bad enough that you lost, but to some simple nobody like that girl?! What was her name? Lolly?"

Hearing her friend get insulted caused Akane to glare. "Her name is Lilly, mother."

"Whatever. It's not like that matters. She's just some loser girl with no reputation. Which makes it even more embarrassing that you lost to her."

The insults towards Lilly caused Alicia to glare over at Akane's mother as she overheard them. She was about to storm over to the woman, but something stopped her. A sight that silenced everyone else backstage.

Akane took her hand and slapped her mother across the face. "SHUT UP MOM!"

The sound of the slap echoed around the room. Akane's mother was stunned into silence as she looked at her daughter, who glared at the woman with tears rolling down her eyes. "Akane…"

"I am so sick and tired of this!" Akane shouted. "Ever since I became an idol and started to gain popularity, you've stopped caring about me! All you ever think about is how to promote me! Is that really all I am to you?! Some idol that exists just to make you look good?!"

"Akane I…"

"I love singing, but that's not the only thing about me! I like reading! I like hanging out with my friends! Heck, I've even come to love VR gaming! There's more to me than just Akimi!" Akane yelled at her.

"Akane dear, I'm just trying to help you further your career. I'm your manager after all."

"Not anymore."

Akane's words stunned her mother as she widened her eyes at her daughter. "What?"

"I'm firing you as my manager." Akane told her. "This whole idol business has turned you into a different person! I don't want you to be my manager if it means you stop being my mother! I want my mom back!"

"Akane…"

Akane walked away from her mother, and out on stage. A large majority of people had already left, but there were still some in the process of leaving. Akane walked over to the microphone and spoke into it. "Excuse me? Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?" Hearing Akane's voice caused a lot of people to stop and turn to the teen idol. "I know that a lot of you came out here to hear me sing, and I'm sorry I let you all down by dropping out. There were some issues going on that I couldn't ignore. So if you would be willing to let me, I'd like to sing a song for all of you."

Finally getting the chance to hear Akimi sing made the people still there sit back down. A few near the door even ushered in those that were still nearby. Before long, roughly half of the auditorium was filled up.

"Like Lilly Hiryo, the girl that won this competition, the song I'm going to sing is one that you've probably never heard before." Akane told the crowd. "It was one written by my dad when I was little. He… well he's not around anymore to hear me sing it. But I want to do him proud by letting this song be heard." Closing her eyes, Akane began to sing.

 _You gave me words of kindness_

 _You held me when I was lonely_

Hearing the lyrics her daughter was singing, akane's mother widened her eyes and gasped. "This song… Haru..."

 _Sad things happened_

 _But together we shared_

 _the joy of early spring_

 _I searched for the words I wanted to leave behind_

 _for someone far away_

 _Before my time ended_

 _I simply repeated "Thank you"_

 _I hope that's the only thing that reaches your heart_

 _May my heart_

 _soar far through the sky_

 _and convey my smile to you_

 _A warmth_

 _that feels like the last traces_

 _of the fading spring_

 _If I can quietly_

 _just leave that inside you_

 _I'll smile for you_

As Akane finished singing, everyone in the crowd applauded her on the song. Akane gave a bow to them all. "Thank you very much." she said before walking backstage.

Watching her daughter come over to her, Akane's mother didn't know what to say. "Akane… You…"

"I want singing to be like the way dad introduced it to me. To make people happy. To soothe them as they listen to me. Not to make myself look cute and gain popularity and fame." Akane told her mother. "I still want to be an idol. But I want to be the idol that I invision. Not the one you invision."

Hearing her daughter's words caused Akane's mother to fall to her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried. "Akane… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for everything!"

Akane put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mom, there's one more thing. I want to stay here for now. At least until I graduate from high school."

"But-"

"Don't worry, I'll still have summer break." Akane told her. "I'll stay with you during my breaks. We can talk and hang out like we used to. And while I'm at it, I'll try and do an event every once in awhile." A grin came to her face. "After all, Akimi is still a part of me too."

Her mother looked up at her with a smile as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "You've become so strong Akane. You've grown up so much."

"Well I can't take all the credit." Akane said, glancing over to Lilly and her family. "I made a lot of good friends here."

* * *

 _ **-One week later-**_

Akane walked through the halls of school, with the final bell having run a few minutes ago. She passed by several students as she made her way to the cafeteria where her friends were waiting.

As she walked, one of the students bumped against her shoulder. Akane turned and saw the student was none other than Madoka. The bully scowled at her.

"What do you want?" Akane said.

"You think you're so great, don't you Akimi?" Madoka asked. "But you won't be able to live in the spotlight forever. Everyone will forget about the singing competition soon enough."

"True." Akane admitted. "But I doubt you will. Especially the fact that you lost to Lilly." Not even giving the girl a chance to respond, Akane turned and waved as she walked away. Madoka huffed as she walked the other direction.

Ever since the singing competition, Akane had never felt greater about her life. She was able to speak to her mother honestly about how she felt. She could feel joy in singing once again. And she had finally realized why she wanted to be an idol in the first place.

Turning the corner into the cafeteria, Akane saw her friends sitting together at a table. Lilly noticed the girl and waved over to her. "Hey Akane! Over here!"

' _Dad… If you can hear me, I want you to know that I'm doing ok.'_ Akane thought to herself. ' _Mom and I are getting along. I've made singing my career.'_ She walked over to her friends, waving back to Lilly. ' _And I've made some wonderful friends. Ones that I cherish more than anything.'_

 **A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. Next couple chapters are just going to be regular ones, not anything for an arc. Hope you like them.**


	67. Tag Team Royale

**A/N: Hey readers, time for another new chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Also a reader was asking what I feel would be good english voice actors to play Wyvern's Inferno if it were to become it's own anime (Riki Kawahara, if by some miracle you're reading this, PLEASE! I give you my blessing!). Joking aside, I'm curious on everyone's opinions. What VA's do you guys think would be best for some of the Wyvern's Inferno cast. IF you have any ideas, just give a name and maybe a roll they've played in anime. You can put it in a review or just PM me if you want to be anonymous.**

 **Looking forward to what you all come up with.**

"Come on Naoki, it isn't that hard."

"Sorry, sorry. Geez, why does this stuff have to be so hard?"

Naoki and Sayaka were both together in Naoki's room. The tan-haired girl was in the middle of tutoring Naoki in some of the subjects he was struggling in.

"Ugh, ok let me think. First I do this. Then that. And then…"

Sayaka looked over Naoki's shoulder at his paper. "You're on the right track. Keep going."

Naoki continued with the problem, going at it the way Sayaka had shown him. Finally he finished. "Yeah! I did it! Who rules?! I do!"

"Very good, Naoki." Sayaka said.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Sayaka. Thanks a bun-" Naoki stopped talking as he suddenly felt the girl wrap her arms around him from behind. "Uhh… Sayaka?"

"I think you deserve a little reward for doing that problem right, Naoki." Sayaka said with a giggle. She led him over to the bed and dragged him down on it. Before Naoki could even process what was going on, Sayaka was laying right on top of him.

"S-Sayaka?! What are you doing?!" Naoki exclaimed.

"Giving you your reward silly. What else?" Sayaka said in a seductive tone. She leaned in closer, smiling at him as her face got closer to his.

Naoki blushed as he turned his head to the side. "O-Oh, well… I uh… I don't know if that's a good idea. My dad's home after all and-"

"Shhh, he doesn't need to know." Sayaka said as she pressed her finger over his lips. "Now then, let's get started."

The next thing Naoki knew, Sayaka was on top of him, kissing him on the lips. Giving into his instincts, he wrapped both arms around her and kissed her right back, the two trapped in a romantic make out session.

"Oh Sayaka."

"Oh Naoki." Sayaka said. "Naoki… Naoki..."

* * *

"NAOKI!"

"Huh?" With a sudden jolt, Naoki shot up, sitting up from his bed. Sayaka was suddenly no longer there. Instead his mother was at his bedside.

' _Was that a dream?'_ Naoki asked himself. "H-Hey mom. What's up?"

"What's up? It's almost 7:00." the red haired mother said. "You need to get up before you're late for school."

Looking over at the clock in his room, he noticed that his mother was right. "Sorry." he said as he got up. "I was having a dream."

"What kind of dream was it?" Lilina asked.

A red blush suddenly appear on Naoki's face. He was glad his back was to his mother right now or else it would have been given away in an instant. "Oh… just a regular old dream. Nothing special."

"I see. Well breakfast is on the table. Hurry up before it gets cold."

"Got it. Thanks mom." Naoki said as his mother left the room. He quickly got dressed and went downstairs to eat. Afterwards, he gathered his stuff for school and went out the door.

As the red haired teen walked to school, Naoki's mind was flooded with the dream he had. Him. Sayaka. Kissing. Making out. Holding each other in their arms.

' _Geez, I've had these kind of dreams plenty of times. Sometimes with girls made up by my imagination.'_ Naoki thought. ' _So why does this one feel so… weird?'_

His mind went back a few months ago. Back to when Sayaka had declared her love for him. It was at the exact same time that Yuzuki had done the same actually. That psychotic nutshow was one he would probably never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

As the day continued on through school, Naoki's mind was still on that dream he had. Why was Sayaka all he could think about right now? It was just a coincidence she was the girl in the dream… right?

Once lunch came, Naoki sat at a table and ate. He scrolled through his cell phone about as he looked through various news stories about VR games. It was something he often did to kill time for the lunch period. As he scrolled, eventually he came across one in particular about ALO that caught his attention.

 _Alfheim Tag Team Royale_

 _Enter in a team of two and battle it out against other teams in an explosive tag team competition. Last team standing will be the champions, earning a prize of 500,000 Yld. Do you have what it takes to win?_

Naoki read the notification, his interest piqued. ' _A tag team tournament, huh? That's interesting.'_ He thought about who would make for good teammates among his friends. In a battle royale setting, it would be ideal to have someone who could support him well, considering his support skills were basically nonexistent. His mind went to Tetsuya. He was a fighter, but as a Sylph, he had a couple basic healing spells in his arsenal. He decided to give his friend a text.

 _Hey Tets, you hear about the tag team tourney in ALO? Wanna team up for it?' -Naoki._

A couple minutes later, he got a text back from Tetsuya. Unfortunately, it was not the answer he had been hoping for.

 _Sorry man, I'm busy that day. Can't participate. Hope you can find someone else. -Tetsuya_

His next thought was to try Lilly. Her skill with magic could help him with healing, and provide an attacker from the rear. To his dismay however, when he texted her asking, she replied saying she was already planning on entering with a partner of her own.

' _Great, now who am I gonna pick?'_ Naoki thought as he let out a sigh. There weren't a huge number of players that could fight and play support that he knew personally. He considered a player that could instead just play solely a supporting role. Thinking of that immediately brought his mind to Sayaka. As an Undine mage, she had a wide arsenal of healing and support spells to use. And with his skill as a tank, he could probably protect her. Not to mention, he loved having a cute partner.

' _Wait, why did my mind suddenly go to her being cute?'_ Naoki asked himself. ' _Ugh, get it together, man! You've got to get your head on straight!'_

He let out a frustrated groan. The more he thought, the more sense Sayaka made as a partner. Plus, maybe he could get his feelings in order if he did this with her. He could fight with her, and he'd realize that they were still the same friends they had always been. Yeah, that was a good reason.

The red haired teen sent a quick text to Sayaka, asking if she wanted to enter with him. To his surprise, she texted him back rather quickly.

 _Sure. Sounds like fun. I'd love to. -Sayaka_

' _Well I guess I've got my teammate.'_ Naoki thought. ' _We should probably meet up beforehand. To… discuss strategy. Yeah, that's it.'_

* * *

Naoki sat outside a cafe in Arun. The tag team battle royale was in two days. So with it right around the corner, he had decided to invite Sayaka to a "team meeting". They needed to discuss strategy if they were going to have a chance at winning. But at the same time, he was oddly excited about seeing the female Undine.

It wasn't long before Sayaka came into view, waving over to her friend as she walked over to him. "Hey Naoki. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

Naoki waved off the girl's concern. "Don't worry. I've just been here a few minutes."

"That's good." Sayaka said as she sat down with him. "So, you said you wanted to discuss strategy?"

"Y-Yeah." Naoki said. "So… I was thinking that you stay in the back. You can support me with healing and also hit enemies with offensive spells. You have a few, right?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah. Some of my ice spells can also inflict a freeze status so that might help. They'll be stuck in place, making them easy targets for you."

"Sounds good." Naoki nodded in agreement. "So we should also… umm… what else…"

Naoki had never been the best at coming up with strategy, but even this was duller than usual for him. For some reason, having Sayaka this close to him had his thoughts all scrambled.

"Well we should probably try and avoid big fights with multiple teams." Sayaka suggested. "If we end up in a fight with several players, I'll probably get taken out."

"Y-Yeah. Good point." Naoki nodded in agreement.

Sayaka tilted her head. "Naoki? You ok?"

"Huh? Who me?" Naoki asked nervously. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine. Couldn't be finer if I tried."

"Ok…" Sayaka said, not fully convinced. "Well then, do we know anyone else entering?"

"Well Lilly said she was entering with someone. Probably Rin if I had to guess." Naoki said.

"They'll be a tough team to beat." Sayaka said. "We'll have to be at the top of our game if we end up having to fight them."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Naoki said. He got up from his seat. "Well anyway, I gotta go. See you later."

Naoki quickly walked away as Sayaka said goodbye. Naoki hurried as fast as he could to the inn without acting too out of place. Once he got his room, he closed the door and sat down. He was thankful that he had been able to get away when he did. His heart was beating fast the entire time.

' _The hell is going on with me? Why am I suddenly feeling so weird in front of Sayaka all the time?'_ Naoki asked himself. ' _It can't be… Am I… falling in love with her?'_

* * *

Two days passed by quickly. Finally it was time for the big event. Sayaka sat up from the bed of the inn she logged on at. She went over to a mirror and stared at her reflection.

It was finally time. The tournament where she and Naoki would fight together against a multitude of other teams. She wondered if she was ready for this. She was good at playing support, sure. But if she got into a situation where she herself had to fight, she wasn't sure she could hold her own.

' _Come on Sayaka, get it together! Naoki asked you to team up with him! This could be your big chance!'_ she told herself. She slapped her cheeks to psych herself up. ' _Alright! Time to go out there and do my best!'_

Sayaka walked out of the inn, and met up with her partner for the tournament. Both she and Naoki made their way to the tournament stadium where the event was being held. Apparently the actual fights wouldn't happen here, but it would still be viewable for others to watch.

Coming out onto the main field, Naoki and Sayaka were surprised by how many teams there were. They saw no sign of Lilly's team, but with the amount of players gathered together they could very well have just blended into the crowd.

Time ticked away before the event was set to begin. Finally, it hit zero and the cheers were deafening. Appearing out on stage was the same female fairy that had been the MC for the ALO World Tournament, Haruka. She had been a hit with the players so the staff for the game had decided to keep her around. She now acted as the announcer in several of ALO's larger competitions.

"Hello players! Are you ready for some action?!" Haruka asked. The response she got was a resounding "Yes". It was clear everyone was ready to get the show on the road. "Alright then. Allow me to give a brief explanation of the rules. Teams will all be teleported to a special map. From there, it's a full on fight to the finish. When only members of one team are left standing, they will be crowned the winners. In addition, revival items will be unusable during this event for participants. This rule does not apply to revival magic however, so keep that in mind."

' _In a sense, that makes it look like teams with healers have the advantage.'_ Sayaka thought. ' _However, if Naoki gets killed, chances are I won't have the opportunity to use revival magic. This is gonna be tough.'_

"That's it, so are you ready players?!" Haruka asked. "Cause the ALO Tag Team Royale starts now!"

Just like that, light enveloped each of the players as they were all teleported to the special map mentioned for the event. Placements were completely random so there was no telling where other teams might end up in regards to each other.

When Naoki and Sayaka could both see again, they found themselves in a dense forest. Large trees surrounded the area, with their wide reaching branches blocking out most of the sky. Birds chirped in the air, while the buzzing of insects could be heard if one listened closely.

"Alright, so our first priority should be getting to know where we are." Sayaka said as she opened her menu. She pulled up a map, showing the field for the event. The woods they were in was in the southeast.

"So how are we gonna find people?" Naoki asked. "This map is supposed to be big, right?"

"Didn't you read the information the GMs sent to everyone that signed up?" Sayaka asked.

"Information?" Naoki asked. "Oh wait, was it that long email?"

"Naoki…"

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just that it looked so long and boring so…"

Sayaka let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll explain then. There are thirty-seven teams signed up for the event. When that number goes down to twenty, they send out a notification showing the location of each and every team at that point in time. Then, the same thing happens when only ten teams are left. Once it hits five, the location of every team will be shown at all times on the map. In addition, a notification of every player's location is sent out if no players have died within a thirty minute time period."

"So we find out player locations as the teams are whittled down or when nothing's happening."

"Basically." Sayaka nodded in confirmation. "Though we aren't given info on which teams are where. Though we can look at which teams are left on the main list whenever we want."

"Well let's hope we don't run into Rin and Lilly early on. They're not a duo I'd want to fight."

"How about us then?" a sudden voice spoke up.

Naoki and Sayaka both turned towards one of the trees with a gasp as several throwing knives came flying at them. Both of them jumped away, just barely avoiding getting hit by the projectiles. They soon found out who had thrown them as a Spriggan came hopping down from the trees. Descending next to him was a Gnome with a one-handed axe.

"Get behind me, Sayaka." Naoki said as he stood in front of his teammate.

The Gnome looked over at his partner. "Geez man, couldn't you at least hit one of them?"

"Well maybe I could've if you hadn't given away our position by talking like you did." the Spriggan countered.

"It was to catch them off guard!"

"Well look at how well that worked out."

' _Are these two fighting against us or themselves?'_ Naoki asked himself as he and Sayaka watched the two players bicker.

"Forget this. We're getting nowhere." the Spriggan said. "Let's just take these guys out."

"Now that's a plan I can get behind." the Gnome agreed.

"Here they come." Naoki warned.

"I'll provide buffs." Sayaka said as she moved back.

"As if we'd let you!" the Spriggan said, leaping into the air and throwing a series of knives in Sayaka's direction.

Sayaka gasped as the knives came her way but Naoki quickly intercepted them, knocking them away with a swing of his large sword.

"You're fighting me. So keep your focus off her." Naoki told the Spriggan.

"Heh, perfect! I'll get the Undine while you're distracted!" the Gnome grinned as he charged at Sayaka.

"Not happening!" Sayaka called out. She quickly chanted a spell as several icicles materialized around her. "Take this!"

The Gnome gasped as the icicles shot towards him. He managed to dodge a couple, but one hit him by his legs and covered them in ice. "Damnit! I can't move!"

"Nice work Sayaka!" Naoki grinned. "Now for the finisher!"

The Gnome managed to turn his head towards Naoki only for the Salamander to slash at him, ripping him in half and turning him into a Remain Light.

The Spriggan stood hesitantly as Naoki and Sayaka both turned to face him. "Ready to join your friend?" Naoki asked with a smirk.

"Tch, idiot oaf. He just had to go and get himself killed that easily." the Spriggan said. He quickly turned around and took off running.

"Oh no you don't!" Naoki yelled. He brought out his wings and took off after the Spriggan.

"Naoki! Wait!" Sayaka exclaimed bringing out her wings and flying after her teammate.

The Spriggan maneuvered through the trees as he tried to lose his pursuers. But Naoki wasn't willing to let him escape so easily. He and Sayaka were off to a roll and he was going to keep it going.

"Naoki wait! Don't chase him too far!" Sayaka warned.

"Heh, it's no biggie Sayaka. This guy's toast." Naoki smirked confidently.

"Tch, as if I'd let myself get taken out this early!" the Spriggan yelled. He turned his body around while still flying in the same direction. Several throwing knives were in his hands. "Take this!"

Naoki prepared to guard the attack, but before the Spriggan could throw the knives, an arrow suddenly pierced his head. It instantly brought his HP down to zero as he burned into a Remain Light. Naoki gasped as he looked towards the direction of where the arrow had come, seeing several more come straight for him. ' _Shit!'_

"Look out!" Sayaka exclaimed, tackling her teammate out of the way, the arrows flying past where they had just been. The two teammates crashed onto the forest ground painfully.

"Ugh… that wasn't one of my better moments." Naoki groaned as he sat up. "Thanks Sayaka."

"Don't mention it, Naoki." Sayaka said as she got off of him.

"Well, well, lookie what we have here."

The sudden voice caused Naoki and Sayaka to look over towards its owner, the same direction that the arrows had come from. Two players stood together on the branches. One was a female Imp in her late teens wearing a kimono-like hunter outfit. In her hands was a bow, showing she was the one that had shot the arrows earlier. Standing at her side was a short male Sylph kid in a ninja outfit. He had dark green hair and a short sword sheathed at his waist. It was hard not to recognize who they were.

Kaguya and Kamui. Shade's teammates from Team Moonshadow.

"It's been awhile you two." Kaguya said with a smile. "I believe the last time we met was at the ALO Annual Tournament."

"You two? Yeah it certainly has been awhile." Naoki agreed. "We didn't know you were in this tournament."

"Yes. It seemed like an interesting event so Kamui and I signed up." Kaguya said. She brought out an arrow and aimed it at the two of them with her bow. "And sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that makes us enemies right now."

Kamui smirked as he gripped the handle of his blade. "So please do us a favor and die."

 **A/N: Hope you all liked it so far. Stay tuned to see how next chapter goes. And be sure to give your ideas for VAs if you have any ideas.**


	68. Confessing One's Feelings

**A/N: Hey guys. New chapter time. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Also I forgot to mention this last chapter, but I wanted to thank all of the readers that gave me awesome comments during the last mini-arc. To be honest I was having a lot of writer's black with that set of chapters so all your positive feedback really helped. I hope to hear more from all of you guys in the future.**

Naoki and Sayaka stood on edge. The team of Kamui and Kaguya stood on the branch of the tree near them. Kaguya had an arrow aimed directly at them, while Kamui was eady with his blade to attack if they dodged. Although that wouldn't be easy since they were both lying down with Sayaka on top of her partner. And any movement practically guaranteed Kaguya would release her arrow.

' _Geez, we just had to run into one of the toughest teams this early, didn't we?'_ Naoki thought.

"Nothing personal, but we are in this to win." Kaguya said.

"H-Hang on!" Naoki said. "What if we… teamed up? You know, take down the competition until there's only a few left."

"And throw away to take out a top team when they're vulnerable? Sorry, but we're not idiots." Kamui told him.

"Let's get this over with. I'd rather not waste time." Kaguya said. "Now die."

Naoki and Sayaka quickly rolled to separate directions as Kaguya fired her arrow, barely dodging it in the nick of time. Naoki saw Kamui speed towards Sayaka with his sword drawn. The male Salamander quickly attempted to cut him off, but he was stopped by an arrow from Kaguya landing right in front of him.

"I don't think so. I'm afraid you're going to be dealing with me right now." Kaguya smirked. She took aim at Naoki once again and began chanting a spell. As she did, her arrow began to glow with a violet light.

' _That doesn't look good.'_

"Take this!" Kaguya said as she fired her arrow. As the projectile flew towards Naoki, it split up into several arrows, covering a wide area.

Naoki quickly brought his sword up to defend, but an arrow still managed to get past his defense and knick his shoulder. His health bar decreased slightly from the scratch. It was clear that Kaguya had no intention of letting Naoki anywhere near Sayaka. At least until Kamui was done with her.

Sayaka wasn't faring much better either. She used her rod as best she could to block Kamui's fierce onslaught of attacks. But with the young Sylph's speed, he still got small cuts in here and there that slowly nicked at her HP.

Knowing she had to get some distance, Sayaka brought out her wings and flew back. Kamui quickly took flight after her however, having no plans of letting the Undine escape his reach. As she flew, Sayaka quickly chanted out a spell and blasted several icicles in Kamui's direction. Kamui nimbly dodged them however, and got in close as he swung his blade upwards. Sayaka was just barely enough out of reach to avoid being ripped in half, but a long red gash appeared on her avatar as he HP took a big hit.

The cry of pain that came from Sayaka caught Naoki's attention. He watched as she fell down and hit the ground, her health in the red.

"Naoki, run! Get out of here!" Sayaka called out to him. "You can't beat them both, so leave me and go!"

"Oh, giving up are we?" Kaguya asked. "It's a shame. We were expecting a better fight. But either way, you're not escaping us."

"Time to finish the first one off." Kamui smirked as he readied to finish Sayaka off.

Naoki's eyes widened as he saw Kamui prepared to cut down his partner. He quickly brought out his wings and made a beeline for her. Kaguya quickly fired another series of arrows to block him off. Naoki moved around them as best he could, still taking multiple direct hits from the arrows. His health fell drastically, but it was still above zero. He closed in as Kamui raised his blade.

"Get away from her!"

Kamui widened his eyes as he saw Naoki swing his large sword at him. The Sylph quickly backflipped away to avoid being cut. As he fell back, Naoki grabbed Sayaka and took off flying with her. Her carried the Undine, desperate to get away from their two opponents.

"Oh no you don't!" Kamui yelled as he and Kaguya gave chase.

Naoki flew as fast as he could through the forest of trees. He did everything he could to lose Kamui and Kaguya, but the two refused to let him shake them off. Kaguya tried using her throwing knives to hit Naoki and slow him down. But the Salamander managed to barely evade them each time.

"Naoki…" Sayaka weakly moaned. "What are you doing? Leave me. You'll be able to get away."

"Not happening." Naoki firmly said. "I'll never leave you behind for my gain. Not in a million years."

"Why? It's not like our lives are in danger. What's the point of holding onto me if it makes us lose?"

"Just shut up and let me try and get us out of this mess." Naoki told her. Finally they escaped the woods and found themselves flying over a large river. Across in the distance it went to a waterfall, though there was no telling how far down it went.

' _Could that work?'_ Naoki thought. ' _No, I can't hesitate. It's my only chance. I have to take it.'_

"Sayaka, listen closely." Naoki said.

"Huh?"

Kamui and Kaguya burst through the forest right behind Naoki and Sayaka. With the trees no longer providing their prey cover, Kaguya brought her bow back out and took aim. "This is the end!"

Kamui readied himself to strike if the arrow missed. Once Kaguya let loose her arrow, it went straight for Naoki and Sayaka, who were right over the water surface. The impact of the arrow caused a massive splash of water that blinded Kaguya and Kamui of the two.

' _Did I hit them?'_ Kaguya wondered.

"Kaguya, under the water! I see them!" Kamui called out. He pointed to a large shadow moving quickly under the water surface.

Kaguya took aim once again with her bow. This time, she would make sure she hit them. Seeing the waterfall in the distance, she fired her arrow before they could reach the end. Once again, a large splash occured from the impact. Kamui and Kaguya flew over to the waterfall. Quickly scanning the area, they saw no sign of the two. The waterfall fell down almost a hundred meters, going into a lake. Both of them looked to the water for any sight of Naoki and Sayaka coming out, but nearly a minute passed by with nothing happening.

"Think they survived?" Kamui asked.

"I doubt it. I'm almost certain I hit them." Kaguya said. "Besides, it's unlikely they survived the fall, even if my arrow did hit them."

"In that case, we better split. If there were any teams nearby, the commotion probably attracted them here."

Kaguya nodded her head in agreement and the two of them flew off into the distance. Another minute passed by before Naoki came out of the water with Sayaka. He looked up towards the sky for their pursuers. Luckily, they were both gone.

"That was way too close." Naoki sighed.

"I was surprised you thought to use the water to our advantage." Sayaka said.

"Well since you're an Undine, I knew you could cast Water Breathing to allow us to stay underwater. And since other races normally lose HP when underwater, I doubted those two would risk checking below water." Naoki explained. "It was risky, but we didn't really have much choice if we were to make it out."

"We should focus on resting and recovering our HP for now." Sayaka said. "I think I saw a cavern behind the waterfall as we were falling. Let's try and hide there for now."

Naoki nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."

The two players quickly got out of the water and flew behind the waterfall. Sayaka had been right about the cavern being there so they sat down and rested. Sayaka casted a healing spell on herself and Naoki, bringing them back up to full health. Now they were simply waiting for Sayaka's MP to recover somewhat as time passed on, as well as for their clothes to dry.

A silence passed between the two of them as they sat. They had barely managed to survive the encounter against Kamui and Kaguya, so their morale wasn't exactly at its highest. But for Sayaka, it was something else. She recalled how Naoki saved her in their encounter. He could have just left her and ran. In all honesty, that would have probably been the smarter move since them surviving just now had been mostly due to luck. But Naoki didn't even consider the danger or risk. He did everything he could to make sure she made it out of that alive.

"Hey… Naoki…" Sayaka said, finally breaking the silence. "Why did you save me back there?"

"Huh?" Naoki asked. "Cause we're teammates. Why wouldn't I try to save you?"

"Don't try to fool me. I know there's more to it than that." Sayaka said with a shake of her head. "You said you'd never leave me for your personal gain."

A blush appeared on Naoki's cheeks as he turned his head away. He cursed himself for saying that out loud earlier. Why was he suddenly acting so protective of Sayaka all of a sudden? Deep down, he knew that he meant those words before. If it was anyone else, he might have left them to try and have a higher chance of the team winning. At the very least he would have considered it. But with Sayaka, the thought never even crossed his mind. Was it because of that dream? Could it be… that he truly loved her?

"Sayaka…" Naoki said hesitantly. "I… well I had a dream."

"A dream?" Sayaka asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just let me finish." Naoki told her. "In the dream, you were there. We were in my room and… we were… kissing. A lot."

"Oh." Sayaka said, her eyes widening as she fully realized what her friend was saying. "Oh…"

"Sayaka, I told you a few months ago that I wasn't sure how I felt about you. And to be honest, this dream I had made things even more confusing. But now… I think I understand how I feel about you."

"N-Naoki, are you sure this is the right t-time?" Sayaka asked nervously. "I m-mean we've s-still got the t-tournament and-"

Sayaka was cut off as Naoki suddenly leaned forward. Her eyes widened as far as they could as Naoki pressed his lips against hers. They stayed that way for a few seconds. But as Naoki began to pull away, Sayaka wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back, kissing him with all of her love. She kept her lips pressed against his for what felt like forever before they finally separated.

"Sayaka…" Naoki said in surprise. "That was… wow…"

"D-Don't look at me like that." Sayaka said with a large blush. "You kissed me first after all."

"I guess I did." Naoki admitted. "That was… nice…"

Sayaka nervously nodded her head. "So… does this mean we're… you know…?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Naoki said as he rubbed the back of his head. "How about we focus on winning this tournament for now. We can focus on things between us after that."

Sayaka couldn't argue with that so she nodded her head. "Alright."

Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of the two of them. It read a message saying there were only 20 teams left before switching to a map of the field, showing the location of every team.

"Oh yeah… You did mention something about them giving the locations of teams as the numbers went down." Naoki said. "Well I guess this means those two from before also know we're still alive."

Sayaka finally figured out where Kamui and Kaguya were as she tapped a dot and saw their names pop up near it. "They're pretty far away from us right now. But there's another team right near us."

"I bet they'll come straight here once they see us." Naoki said. A smirk came to his face. "What do you say we give them a surprise?"

Sayaka grinned with her teammate. "I like what you're thinking."

* * *

Outside of the gushing waterfall, two fairies flew out into the open. They quickly looked around the area, having seen the other team positioned in this area.

"I don't see them. What about you?" one of them said

"Me neither. Maybe they turned tail and ran?" the other suggested.

As the two players continued to look for any sign of their targets, a small fish came out from the waterfall. It was a majestic blue, blending in with the waterfall to avoid easily being spotted. It floated in the air as it eyed the other team.

"Can you see them, Sayaka?" Naoki asked.

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah. My recon familiar spell comes in handy with stuff like this. Now just let me line them up."

Outside, the two players still saw no sign of Naoki or Sayaka. "I don't see anything. Let's just head somewhere else. Maybe we'll run into-"

A powerful blast of ice cut the player off as it pierced right through him. His HP fell drastically from the hit, going straight into the red.

"What the…" the player gasped as they tried to endure the pain. "What happened…?"

"Surprise, suckers!" Naoki shouted as he emerged from the waterfall. He took his large sword and made a beeline for the player Sayaka had hit. With a swing of the large weapon, he sliced through the player and watched him burn into a remain light.

"No way?!" the remaining player gasped. "How'd you get the drop on us?!"

"Simple. You didn't think to check behind the waterfall." Naoki smirked. "And now it's time to take you down!"

"Grr, you'll pay for this!" the player yelled as they flew at Naoki with their weapon drawn.

Naoki blocked the strike from his opponent's weapon with his sword. He followed up with a sideways kick that knocked the player closer to the waterfall. He was about to charge back at Naoki, but several icicles emerged from the waterfall, piercing his back. He turned towards the waterfall, angered that he still had a hidden enemy to deal with. Naoki used their distraction to his advantage, rushing them at full speed. The player couldn't react in time and ended up getting impaled by Naoki's sword. He let out a grunt of pain before burning away into a remain light.

"Aw yeah! That was awesome!" Naoki cheered. "Nice assist there, Sayaka!"

The Undine emerged from the waterfall with a smile on her face. The two teammates flew up to each other and high fived. They were now one step closer to winning the event.

"Let's keep moving. We shouldn't stay here too long." Sayaka suggested.

"Good point." Naoki nodded. The two quickly took off, in search of the next team for them to take down.

As Naoki and Sayaka flew away, little did they know that a pair of eyes were already on them. A fairy from one of the trees at the top of the waterfall sat on a branch and watched them fly off. A Cait Sith mage with blonde hair tied up in a small ponytail. Lilly grinned to herself as she looked at her friends.

' _They're not doing so bad.'_ Lilly thought to herself. ' _To bad for them, me and my teammate already plan to win this.'_

As Lilly thought to herself, a player quietly hovered closer to the tree she saw on. He thought he could sneak up on her and take her out easily. Unfortunately for him, Lilly had already sensed his presence a mile away.

As did her partner.

"Take this!" a sudden shout called out as a player slashed at the attempted sneaker from behind. Surprise overtook him as his HP took a massive drop from the hit. The fairy moved out of the way, as Lilly lined up their opponent with her finger.

"Game over."

"Damnit!" the player shouted as Lilly hit them with a blast of fire that took out the rest of their HP.

Lilly smirked to herself as she continued relaxing on the branch of the tree. Her partner landed next to her. Naoki and Sayaka had thought Lilly's partner was her sister Rin. They were half right at least.

"Did you see me, Lilly?! Wasn't that so awesome?!" Luna asked.

"Yeah, you got that guy perfectly." Lilly grinned as she high fived her little sister.

"So where are we going next, Lilly? Which team are we gonna beat up next?"

"Easy there kiddo. It's a long tournament. Let's sit back and observe for now." Lilly said. She looked over towards the direction Naoki and Sayaka had gone off towards. "That said… I think I know a good place to head towards."

 **A/N: Well readers, you've been wanting this for awhile so you finally have it. How will the rest of this battle royale unfold? You'll just have to wait until next week to find out.**


	69. Tag Team Conclusion

**A/N: I LIVE! I have come back from the dead! You have no control over me Death!**

 **Ok, all joking aside, I'm really sorry how long it took to get this chapter out. School work has been nuts with all the stuff I have to do for senior year. Not sure if I can keep up the biweekly update schedule. So these coming chapters are pretty much going to be on an update basis of "whenever I finish them". Hopefully I can get them out within a reasonable time period.**

 **Anyways, on with the chapter!**

Naoki and Sayaka flew together through the battlefield provided for the players of the tag team royale event. Ever since they had left the waterfall, their teamwork had been perfect, taking out every team that came their way.

Suddenly, a message window appeared in front of each of them. It showed a map of the field, as well as the remaining team's locations.

"So now there's only ten left." Sayaka noted. "The competition's going to get tough from here on."

Naoki noticed a dot near them, signaling a team was close by. He tapped on it and saw it was the team of Kamui and Kaguya. "Damn, they're close."

"Should we retreat in the other direction?" Sayaka suggested.

Naoki shook his head. "No, there's other teams not too far off that way too. If they chased us, we'd be sandwiched in."

"Which means our only option is to fight." Sayaka realized. Suddenly, she noticed something in the corner of her vision. The Undine gasped and lunged at Naoki. "Get down!"

Naoki widened his eyes as Sayaka tackled him to the ground, an arrow flying over their heads. Another second later, and it would have gone right through Naoki's head, taking out his HP instantly.

"Darn. Seems I missed."

Both Naoki and Sayaka got to their feet and saw Kamui and Kaguya standing together. It was obvious that Kaguya had been the one to nearly take out Naoki just now.

"Guess it's time for round 2." Naoki said, bringing his sword out.

"I gotta say, I was surprised you survived that waterfall." Kamui said with a grin. "But we're not letting you get away this time."

"Bring it on."

"Naoki, I need you to keep Kamui off me." Sayaka told him. "I can handle Kaguya."

"You sure?"

"Just trust me."

Naoki looked at Sayaka for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Go get her."

"Hey dumbass! Best not to look away from someone faster than you!"

Naoki quickly jerked his head back to the fight as Kamui sped at him. The Salamander just barely managed to bring his sword up to guard in time as Kamui bounced off him. Kamui was far from done however, as he once again moved into attack.

As Kamui and Naoki crossed swords, Kaguya aimed an arrow in Sayaka's direction. Sayaka quickly flew out of the way as the arrow shot towards her. Going right into the counterattack, Sayaka chanted a spell and launched a series of icicles in Kaguya's direction. Like Syaka had done before her, Kaguya dodged the projectiles that came her way. Both girls readied another long range attack at their opponent's, with Sayaka using her ice magic and Kaguya using her own magic to split her arrow into multiple. Unleashing them at the same time, the icicles and arrows collided with each other, cancelling themselves out. A small dust cloud was kicked up from the collision, blinding them from each other.

Kaguya quickly put away her bow and brought out her throwing knives, tossing them right towards Sayaka through the dust cloud. She heard the sound of her knives cutting into flesh, telling her that she had hit her mark. A smirk came to her face, but it quickly disappeared when out of nowhere ice began covering the ground and spreading out rapidly. The female Imp quickly tried to get away, but the ice caught up to her too fast and encased her up to her ankles.

' _Damnit! I can't move!'_ Kaguya realized as she tried to free herself.

The dust cloud subsided, revealing Sayaka. Her rod was embedded in the ground and seemed to be at the center of the circle of ice Kaguya found herself trapped in.

"Seems my spell worked." Sayaka smirked.

"Kaguya!" Kamui exclaimed. He quickly tried to rush in and help his teammate, but Naoki quickly intercepted him.

"I wouldn't take your eyes off me if I were you." the Salamander grinned.

With Naoki occupying Kaguya's teammate, Sayaka was free to deal with Kaguya. She began chanting a spell aimed at Kaguya.

"Don't think I'm gonna make it that easy for you!" Kaguya said, bringing out her bow and aiming an arrow her way. Even if she was unable to make a firm stance, at this distance she couldn't miss.

Just as both girls were about to launch their attacks, Sayaka gasped as a blast of fire crashed into Kaguya. The Imp let out a cry of pain as her HP plummeted.

' _What's going on?!'_ Sayaka asked herself. She glanced over at Naoki, but the Salamander and Kamui had both stopped their fight, equally surprised by the sudden fire magic.

"Who did that?" Kaguya questioned. She got her answer soon as a figure appeared behind her and plunged a short sword through her.

"You should always be aware of your surroundings in a battle royale." the new arrival said as she watched Kaguya lose the rest of her HP and burn away into a remain light. As Kaguya's figure burned away, Sayaka got a clear view of the player that had taken her out.

"Lilly?!"

"The Cait Sith girl from Black Firestorm?" Kamui asked with narrowed eyes.

"Do it now, Luna!" Lilly called out.

Suddenly, Kamui felt a presence behind him. He turned around only to get hit with a slash fro Luna's sword. The little girl flew back and giggled. "Gotcha."

"Wait, Luna?!" Naoki exclaimed. "I thought you were teaming up with Rin, Lilly?!"

"I never said who my teammate was." Lilly told him. "Luna wanted to do this tag team thing so I decided to enter with her."

"Lilly and I have been doing super good!" Luna grinned. "This has been so much fun!"

"Let's see if it's still fun after I slice you in two, twerp!" Kamui said as he sped at Luna.

Luna quickly brought her sword up and blocked Kamui's strike. She was an AGI type player, but so was Kamui and he had far more experience than her.

' _I can do this. I just need to remember what Papa taught me.'_ Luna thought. As she and Kamui locked swords, she swung her leg up, kneeing the Spriggan right in the gut. Kamui backed away slightly, giving Luna the opportunity to go on the attack. Kamui swung his blade at her, but Luna ducked under swiftly and got behind him. She swung her sword up, cutting into his back. Kamui spun around and slashed at her, which Luna barely managed to block in time.

Naoki blinked his eyes in surprise as he watched this. ' _Holy cow. When did Luna get so good at fighting?'_

"Damn you." Kamui growled as he tried to catch his breath. Looking at his HUD, he could see his HP was nearing the red. "You're gonna pay for getting in my way."

"Nuh uh." Luna said with a giggle. "Cause you just lost."

As Kamui wondered what the little girl meant by that, he noticed a blast of fire shoot out from Lilly's fingers. It came at him too quickly for him to dodge, hitting him dead on. He cursed his luck as he burned away into a remain light just like his teammate.

"Nice job, Luna!" Lilly called out to her sister.

"Thanks Lilly." Luna grinned as she ran over to her sister.

As Lilly patted her little sister on the head she look at Naoki and Sayaka. "Sorry about that kill steal you two. But this _is_ a battle royale after all."

"So you entered with Luna, huh?" Sayaka said.

"Yeah. I figured this would be a great way for her to improve." Lilly explained. "We've taken out quite a few teams so far."

"Lilly's super smart strategy is awesome!" Luna said happily.

"And I hate to tell you guys this…" Lilly said, readying her blade. "But you two are next on our list."

Naoki and Sayaka quickly brought up their weapons, realizing they weren't safe just yet. "No mercy even for friends, huh?" Naoki said.

"Sorry but we're playing to win." Lilly said. "And that means we're enemies."

Together, the Hiryo sister kicked off the ground and sped towards different opponents. Lilly moved in towards Sayaka while Luna went at Naoki.

"Think you can take me, Luna?" Naoki questioned. "Alright then, bring it!"

Naoki readied himself as Luna sped his way. Naoki thrusted his large sword forward, but Luna quickly ducked under and dashed past him.

' _Sorry, but getting behind me won't work. I saw that coming a mile away.'_ Naoki thought silently. He turned and swung his sword behind him, but widened his eyes when his slash hit nothing but air. ' _What?! Where'd she go?!'_

"Take this!" Luna shouted from above the Salamander. Naoki gasped and looked upwards, only to be greeted from a downwards slash from Luna, leaving a large gash along his body. Before Naoki could counterattack, she swiftly leaped back. But she wasn't willing to give Naoki any room to breathe, as she ran around him, going for another attack.

Naoki blocked Luna's first slash, but she sped past him and delivered a second one that connected. She moved all around him, getting small scratches in whenever she saw an opening.

' _Damn she's quick.'_ Naoki thought as he once again missed a slash at the tiny Imp. ' _And her small size actually works to her advantage, making her a smaller target to hit.'_ Another slash connected, bringing his HP down even further. ' _Alright. If your gonna come at me from any direction, then I'll just have to hit every direction.'_

"Huurraaahhh!" Naoki yelled as he swung his sword around for a full 360 degree slash. Luna widened her eyes. The sword cut into her, but she managed to stop it with her own blade before it could cut her in two. The force of the swing sent her flying back into a tree painfully. Now it was Naoki's turn to go on the attack as he flew at her. "Sorry about this, Luna! But it's payback time for all that damage you gave me!"

Luna shook the dizziness out of her head just as Naoki closed the distance between them. She gasped as she backflipped upwards, avoiding getting skewered by Naoki's sword which lodged into the trunk of the tree her back was to. Luna took the opportunity to get away from Naoki, delivering a swift kick to his head in the process.

As Luna and Naoki continued to clash, Lilly and Sayaka were busy in a long range battle of magic. Lilly's Element Pistol gave her the advantage, being able to fire consecutive blasts without having to recite the spell each time. But Sayaka knew that Lilly would be open whenever she ran out of ammo and had to chant to reload her spell. Until then, she would do her best to dodge and counter attack with spells that had short incantations.

' _I've only got four bullets left. Gotta make them count.'_ Lilly thought as she flew through the trees in a pursuit of the Undine. ' _Better start by making her go in the direction I want.'_

"Nikko, Scarlet Scatter!" Lilly called out. He dragon familiar obeyed its master and unleashed a flurry of scorching hot pellets.

Sayaka widened her eyes when she saw the attack coming for her. She desperately tried to get away, flying upwards out of the trees. Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what Lilly was hoping for.

"You're mine!" Lilly grinned as she aimed her fingers for her Element Pistol. "Take this! Hellfire Vortex!"

Three quick snaps came from Lilly, launching three different blasts of fire that surrounded Sayaka. With her completely trapped, Lilly fired her last shot at the center, where Sayaka had no chance of dodging.

Lilly grinned as she watched an explosion occur from the impact. ' _Bingo.'_ Her grin quickly disappeared however when she saw a sudden beam of ice shoot out from the flames and come straight towards her. ' _Ah crap.'_

The ice blasted her and sent the Cait Sith crashing into the ground. Lilly watched as her HP plummeted drastically as she laid on the ground painfully.

"Bet you didn't see that one coming." Sayaka said with a smirk as she landed on the ground near Lilly.

"Yeah. I'll admit you got me good there." Lilly said as she picked herself up from the ground. "But this fight isn't over yet."

As the two girls stared each other down, Luna and Naoki suddenly appeared through the trees. Naoki tried to shake Luna, but to no avail. Luna got another clean hit on him as she backed off and landed next to her sister. Naoki did the same, coming to the ground next to his own teammate.

"That kid's speed is nuts. How does she not make herself dizzy moving that fast?" Naoki asked.

Luna giggled as she grinned. "Papa's been helping me train whenever he has the free time."

"I think we can all see the outcome of this fight." Lilly smirked. "Why don't you two give up so we don't have to use up more energy finishing you off."

Naoki couldn't deny that Lilly was right in thinking her side had the advantage. She seemed to be more or less evenly matched with Sayaka in a battle of magic. But he was losing to Luna as things stood. She was just too fast for a tanky type like him.

' _We need something they won't expect.'_ Naoki thought. ' _But what?'_ Naoki racked his brain for a plan. Suddenly, an idea came to him as a devilish smirk came to his face.

"Well? You gonna give up or not?" Lilly asked.

"Actually, I just couldn't help holding it in any longer." Naoki said. "There's something I need to tell you."

Lilly narrowed her eyes. "And that is?"

Naoki answered the girl's question as he put an arm around Sayaka's shoulder. "Sayaka and I are a couple now!"

Lilly's jaw practically dropped as she heard this. "WHAT?!"

Sayaka quickly got what Naoki's plan was as she went along with it. "Yup! We confessed our love during the tournament!"

"Wh-What?! How?! I… I can't believe this!" Lilly exclaimed.

' _Now's my chance.'_ Naoki thought. He kicked off the ground and brought his wings out to close the distance between him and Lilly as fast as possible.

Lilly widened her eyes, frantically trying to regain her lost stance. But it was too late as Naoki swung his blade at her. Lilly's HP took a huge hit, as it hit zero and she burned away into a remain light.

"Lilly!" Luna gasped.

"Sorry about this, Luna." Sayaka said. "But we plan on winning this." With the incantation of her spell finished, she froze the ground around her, trapping Luna in it as well.

Luna tried to move her legs but to no avail. With her feet encased in ice, she was a sitting duck. She could already sense Naoki's presence behind her as he swung his sword down. One slash was all it took to take out her HP. With her burning away into a remain light, the two Hiryo sisters had been beat.

"Aw yeah! We got them!" Naoki grinned as he held his fist up in victory.

"I feel kinda bad though." Sayaka admitted. "It was a bit of a dirty trick to use the fact that we became a couple to throw Lilly off her balance."

"Yeah, I guess. But desperate times called for desperate measures." Naoki said. "Now how about we go out there and win this?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Sounds good to me."

Naoki brought out his wings and flew into the air, followed by Sayaka. "Let's do this. With the two of us together, we're sure to win."

* * *

 _ **-30 minutes later-**_

"Argh! We were SO CLOSE!"

Naoki grumbled as he and Sayaka walked out of the event hall with Lilly and Luna. Not long after they had defeated the Hiryo sisters, Naoki and Sayaka had gotten a notification about there only being five teams left. Their spirits heightened, thinking they could win. But unfortunately, a surprise attack had taken them both out not long after.

"Cheer up, Naoki. At least it was a fun time." Sayaka told him.

"Yeah, I guess." Naoki admitted.

Lilly was still frowning, not appreciating being tricked into letting her guard down the way Naoki and Sayaka had done to her. "So was that whole couple story for real? Or was it just an act?"

Sayaka blushed as she thought back to her and Naoki kissing behind the waterfall. "Actually… yes. It happened during the event."

"I'm so happy for you!" Luna smiled. "We've got to tell everybody! I bet Mama and Papa will be super excited!"

Naoki widened his eyes as a nervous sweat went down the back of his neck. "No! You can't tell your parents!"

Luna tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because if your parents find out, then they're going to tell our parents. And if my dad found out I'm dating Sayaka, he'd go nuts. He hates her mom."

"Yeah… my mom would probably have a similar reaction." Sayaka admitted.

"Uncle Hyde and Aunt Rika do end up arguing with each other a lot." Lilly recalled. "You're going to have to tell them eventually though."

"Yeah, I guess." Naoki groaned as he rubbed his fingers through his hair. "For now though… I'd like to keep it a secret."

"Oh, this is so cute!" Lilly smirked. "Two lovers hiding their love from their parents, because their families are at war with each other! It's just like Romeo and Juliet!"

Sayaka's cheeks blushed red at the thought. "That may be pushing it a little."

Naoki narrowed his eyes at the Cait Sith. "You're going to tease us like hell about this, aren't you?"

"Big time." Lilly grinned, giggling to herself as they all walked together.

 **A/N: Hope this chapter was enough to hold you over until the next one comes out. I have a special little idea for the next chapter that I'm sure plenty of you will love. Until then readers.**


	70. A Surprise Meeting

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I know this chapter took awhile, but it's finally here. I wanted to show my appreciation to all of you for your patience with these chapters by giving you a new chapter today. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Lilly sat on the couch, busy reading a book. It was just past noon on Saturday. Most kids her age would spend their free time playing games or hanging out with their friends. In Lilly's case, she was a bookworm. So whenever she had a good novel, she liked to spend time reading that. It had been that way since she was little.

Dan called out to his daughter. "Lilly, better finish up that chapter quickly. We're heading out soon."

"Got it. I'm almost done with the chapter." Lilly told her father.

Luna went over to her sister and look at the book she was reading curiously. "What kind of story are you reading, Lilly?"

"It's an adventure story." Lilly explained. "Plus there's also a bit of romance involved."

"Really? Sounds interesting." Luna said. "Can I read it too?"

Lilly giggled as she patted her sister's head. "You may be smart for your age Luna, but this book is a bit beyond you right now. Maybe in a couple years."

Luna pouted at her sister. "No fair!"

"Sorry sis. But there's types of things being smart won't be enough to get you." Lilly told her as she continued to read. "On another topic, are you excited about today?"

Luna nodded her head. "Mhm. We're going to meet Mama and Papa's friend, right?"

"That's right." Dan said. "You've never met her, Luna. As for Lilly and Rin, they were babies the last time they saw them."

"You said they were people you knew from SAO?" Lilly asked.

Dan nodded his head. "Yeah. We ended up going to high school with them after we all got out of SAO."

Soon, Alicia came down from upstairs, followed by Rin. "Alright, I finished the writing I had to do today." Alicia said. "You ready to head out?"

"Yup. All set." Dan said. He looked over to Lilly and Luna. "Alright you two, let's get going."

Lilly closed her book and got up from the couch with Luna. The family of five left the house and piled into Dan's car. Dan drove off as they went towards their destination.

"You know, our friends also have a son about your age." Alicia said as they rode. "Maybe you can become friends."

Rin shot a teasing grin to Lilly. "Maybe Lilly can get a boyfriend out of him."

"Very funny." Lilly said. "If you wanna bring up that subject, how far along are you with Shade? Are you two a couple yet?"

"Shade?" Alicia asked with interest. "Who's that?"

"He's Rin's-"

"Lilly!" Rin shouted with an embarrassed blush, covering her sister's mouth. She looked over at her parents in the front seat. "He's no one mom. Just a friend from ALO."

Alicia could tell there was more to this story. But it was clear she wasn't getting details out of Rin anytime soon. So she let it go for now. She let out a small giggle however at the thought that Rin had found a boy she was having feelings for.

The car ride went on as the family talked about various topics. After an hour long drive, Dan finally pulled up at a house. "Alright, here we are."

The family of five exited the car and walked up to the house. They came up to the door and Dan rang the doorbell. It didn't take long before someone came to the door and answered it. It was a blonde woman, about the same age as Alicia and Dan.

"Alicia! Dan! It's so good to see you!" the woman smiled.

"It's been awhile Hikari." Dan said.

The woman looked behind Dan and Alicia, seeing their three daughters. "And you must be Rin, Lilly, and Luna."

"Girls, this is Hikari Shinito." Alicia said. "Like we told you before, she went to high school with us."

"Hi Mrs. Shinito." Luna greeted with a bright smile.

"Hello." Hikari said back. "Well why don't you all come inside."

The Hiryo family followed Hikari inside. The house seemed very neat and tidy, much like their own home. As they walked into the kitchen, they found another male standing their. He had black hair combed to the side.

"Hey Satoshi. Good to see you." Dan said as he walked up to his old friend.

"Indeed it is." Satoshi said, shaking hands with Dan.

Alicia shot a knowing grin at Satoshi. "Don't you mean "Indeed it is, tactician of the front lines."?"

Satoshi blushed in embarrassment while the other adults shared a laugh at his expense. "Come on. I haven't talked like that in years."

"You mean outside your job." Hikari mentioned with a giggle. She looked over at Rin, Lilly, and Luna, noticing the girls didn't seem to get what was going on. "Oh right, you three wouldn't know about my husband's old habits. Anyway, why don't I call down my son. He should be in his room right now." Hikari walked over towards the stairs and called up. "Kenta! Hurry on down here! Our guests have arrived!"

"Coming!" a voice soon called back. Not another minute later, a teen came downstairs and walked into the kitchen. He had dirty blonde hair and a pair of hazel eyes.

"This is our son, Kenta." Hikari said, introducing the boy.

Kenta greeted the family with a small wave. "Hey."

Luna greeted Kenta with a smile. "Hi Kenta. I'm Luna."

Lilly went next. "My name's Lilly."

Finally, Rin went last. "I'm Rin." The oldest of the three noticed Kenta looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-No." Kenta said. "It's just… I feel like I've seen you before."

"Really?" Rin asked. "I don't recognize you. Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"I guess so." Kenta said. ' _She looks so much like her. And she even has the same name, as do the two other girls. It couldn't be… could it?'_

"Why don't you kids hang out and talk while us adults catch up." Alicia suggested.

"We can go to my room I guess." Kenta told the three Hiryo girls. "It's not very big, but it can fit the four of us."

Kenta led the way as the four of them went upstairs into his room. As they walked in, Rin and Lilly widened their eyes. The room had a very feudal era theme to it. There were a few ninja-like things, including posters.

"So… you're a ninja enthusiast I see." Lilly commented, saying what both she and her sisters were thinking.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Kenta admitted. "I really envied my dad growing up. Old habits die hard I suppose."

"It certainly shows." Rin said as she glanced around the room. Her eyes became fixed on the Amu Sphere on his desk. "You play VR games?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Kenta said, seeing that Rin had noticed his Amu Sphere. "I play pretty often."

"What games?" Lilly asked. "Oh let me guess. A ninja freak like you probably plays Asuka Empire, right?"

"I play it on occasion." Kenta nodded. "The main game I play though is Alfheim Online."

"Wait, you play ALO?" Rin questioned.

"That's the game we play too!" Luna said excitedly. "Maybe we can meet up in VR and play together!"

"You three are ALO players too?" Kenta asked. More and more, the similarities kept appearing in his mind. ' _Same names, similar looks, and they play ALO. Could it really be a coincidence?'_

"Yup. We're big gamers." Lilly said. "But going on a quest together sometime sounds fun. What's your handle?"

Kenta stared at the three girls. "Ok, I need to know. What are your handles?"

The three girls looked at each other curiously. "We just asked you first but, ok." Rin said. "We have the same names in-game as we do IRL."

"Oh I get it! That's why you thought Rin looked familiar!" Lilly realized. "You must have recognized us from the World Tournament!" She grinned at Kenta. "Bet you weren't expecting to meet members of the second place team in real life, were you?"

"So it is you…" Kenta said.

"Well? We told you our handles. So what's yours?" Rin asked.

Kenta scratched the back of his head. This was way too awkward. But he couldn't just refuse to answer this late. "It's… Shade…"

"Huh? Sorry you kinda mumbled there." Lilly said. "What was that name?"

"It's Shade!" he said, louder than he had meant to.

The realization slowly sunk into the three of them as they each widened their eyes. Rin was the first to say something. "W-Wait, SHADE?! As in Spriggan race, black hair, ninja mask, silent type Shade?!"

"Yeah…" he admitted. "And I guess you three must be the same ones I know from in-game too."

"Wait. So you're Shade?" Lilly said. She looked back and forth between him and Rin over and over. Before long, she burst out laughing and was on the floor. "Ahahahahahaha! Oh my god! This is too hilarious!"

Kenta blinked in confusion. "Is it really that funny?"

"The funny part is that Rin has a-"

"LILLY!" Rin exclaimed, holding a hand over her sister's mouth.

Kenta watched the two sisters struggle. It always confused him why they did this so often. Perhaps it was a sibling thing? He didn't have any brothers or sisters of his own after all.

"Why don't you just tell him already?"

"Why don't you keep your big mouth shut?!"

"Tell me what?" Kenta asked.

Rin glared at her sister, who giggled in response. There was no avoiding things now. Rin tried to hide her blushing as she brushed her hair to the side. "S-So… um… Shade- I mean Kenta." Rin said. "Do you want to… see a movie sometime? Perhaps go somewhere to eat? Just… hang outside of ALO?"

"Huh?" Kenta asked. "Well… I guess so."

Lilly mentally facepalmed herself. Between Rin being too shy to confess her feelings and Kenta being just plain oblivious to them, she wasn't sure there was any hope at this relationship.

"O-Oh… well then I guess that's good. What's your number?" Rin asked.

Rin and Shade traded phone numbers with each other. Lilly had so many reasons for wanting this relationship to happen. For starters, it would give her so many opportunities to tease her older sister. But more importantly, she wanted Rin to be happy. She could tell that she really liked Shade, so if they got together then it would be best for her.

"This is great!" Luna said happily. "Now we can hang out in the real world too, as well as ALO."

"The distance is a bit much, but yeah. We could hang out." Kenta agreed.

"So this is how you are in the real world…" Rin said. She looked around the room. "Well it's easy to see why you decided to act like a ninja in ALO."

"Oh yeah, what about your friends?! Kaguya and Kamui!" Lilly asked. "Do you know them irl too?"

Kenta shook his head. "No. We all met in ALO. We've never met outside of the game."

"That's a shame." Lilly said.

"What about your friends? The other members of your team from the Annual Tournament I mean." Kenta asked.

"Yup. We're all childhood friends." Rin explained.

The three Hiryo sisters and Kenta talked together for another hour or so. They discussed about various things in their life. Before long, they heard Alicia call for them.

"Kids! Dinner's ready!"

Hearing Alicia, the four of them walked downstairs and into the kitchen. The dining room table was set up with a plate for everyone. They each sat down and began eating.

"So are you kids getting along?" Hikari asked. "Alicia and Dan tell me you three girls are big VR gamers. Kenta plays VR pretty often himself."

"Yeah, we were talking about that." Lilly said. "Some of us were getting to know each other better than others- Oof!" Lilly was cut off as Rin elbowed her.

"A-Anyway…" Rin said. "We found out we both play ALO so we were going to try and meet up sometime."

"That's good to hear." Hikari said. "Your parents and us used to play VR games together a bit ourselves too."

"Though we weren't always on the best of terms." Alicia reminded her, earning a chuckle from the other adults.

Dinner continued on as everyone chatted together. Once it was over, conversations continued on for another hour before it was time for the Hiryo family to leave. Rin parted ways with Shade, saying she would call him sometime. As for what sometime meant, even she didn't know. She also noticed a sly smile on Lilly's face, which she did her best to ignore.

Today had been a lot more than what Rin had been expecting. Than what any of the three sisters had been expecting actually. But now they and Shade knew each other's identities in the real world. For most gamers, it would feel nice to meet a friend they met in a game in the real world. But for Rin the feeling was more complicated than "nice". It was more… confused. Confused about herself really.

When they got home, Rin went to her room. She laid on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her sister teased her about it, but was it true? Did she like Shade? Did she… love him?

"Rin?" The sound of Luna's voice snapped Rin out of her thoughts as she looked over and saw her little sister at the entrance to her room.

"You need something, Luna?" Rin asked as she sat up.

"There's something I don't really get." the little girl said. "It's about what Lilly said. About how you like Kenta."

' _Oh boy.'_ Rin thought.

"Why did you get flustered when Lilly mentioned it?" Luna asked. "You like Kenta, don't you? You don't get flustered about liking Yui and everyone else. So why is it different with him?"

"That's… complicated." Rin said. "The way Lilly is trying to say I like Shade is… different."

"What do you mean?"

' _Ugh, damnit Lilly why'd you have to go and put me in this situation?'_ Rin mentally asked. "Well Luna, there's liking someone as a friend and then there's… loving someone."

"Loving someone?" Luna questioned. "You mean like how Mama and Papa love each other?"

"Basically." Rin said. "See there's different levels of how much you can like a person. And love is one of the most complicated."

"Why's that?"

"Well, you don't always know if the person you love will love you back." Rin explained. "And the thought of them not is… scary."

"I see." Luna said. "Well then you don't have anything to be scared about."

"Why's that?"

"Because I think Kenta loves you too."

A blush appeared on Rin's face. "What makes you think that?"

"I can't really explain it." Luna said. "It's just this feeling I have."

"A feeling, huh?" Rin asked. She smiled as she patted Luna on the head. "You should get to bed Luna. It's getting late."

"Hey Rin?" Luna asked. "Do you think I'll fall in love someday too?"

"I know you will." Rin told her. "And whatever boy that happens with is going to be very lucky."

Luna giggled. "Well I know one thing for sure." she said. She leaned in and hugged her sister. "I love you Rin. You and Lilly both."

"I know Luna. We love you too." Rin told her.

Outside of Rin's room, Alicia leaned against the wall. A soft smile was on her face as she listened in on the conversation. ' _Seems you finally found your special someone Rin. Just like I did with your father. Good luck, sweetheart.'_

 **A/N: Well I hope you all liked today's chapter. I know a lot of you that have been shipping Rin and Shade have been wanting a chapter like this for awhile, so here it is. Let's hope I can get next chapter out within decent time. Until then everyone.**


	71. Chance Encounter

**A/N: Hey readers. I'm back with another new chapter. The first chapter of 2019! This past semester has been a killer, but now I'm finally on Winter Break. With that in mind, I should hopefully be able to get another chapter or 2 out while I'm on break since I have more free time.**

 **Enjoy the chapter everyone.**

Spring was finally starting to show its face in the year as the weather began to warm up. For the first time in months, Yui found herself able to walk around outside without a coat. It was the weekend and she found it the perfect time to do some shopping.

' _Let's see… What should I get?'_ Yui asked herself. ' _Hmm… a new outfit or two would be nice. Oh, maybe I could find something for Lilly. Her birthday is coming up soon.'_

The black haired girl pondered to herself as she walked through the city streets. Usually Strea would accompany her on shopping sprees. The two sisters rather enjoyed shopping together. But alas, Strea was stuck at home catching up on her homework. That was what the younger sister got for putting all her schoolwork off until the last minute.

"Ah, if it isn't Yui."

The sudden voice caught Yui's attention. She turned her head and saw a woman smiling to her from a flower stand. "Ms. Sato. It's good to see you."

"It's nice to see you too dear." the woman said. "How have you been?"

"Just fine, thank you." Yui told her. "Is your husband doing well?"

"Oh yes. And I can't thank your mother enough for helping him fix his diet. He complains a bit but I make sure he adheres to it very strictly."

Yui let out a giggle. "You sound like my mom whenever she's getting my dad to do something he hates."

"Yes, us women can be stubborn when we need to." Ms. Sato said, joining in with Yui on the laughter. She reached behind the counter and pulled out a few flowers. "I've been meaning to thank her actually. Do you mind giving these to her?"

"Not at all." Yui said. "But you don't really need to give her anything. Mom says she was happy to help."

"No, no, I insist." she told her. "Remember what I said about women being stubborn."

Yui knew there was no arguing with the woman if her knowledge of her mother was anything to go by. "Alright then. I'm sure she'll love them."

"Thank you Yui dear. I appreciate it."

Yui grabbed the flowers, noticing the particular type. "Wait, aren't these-"

"Yes, they're your mother's favorite. She mentioned she loved those when we chatted earlier."

Yui smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure she'll love them." She gave a polite bow to the woman before leaving. As she was about to continue walking, a sudden shout caught her attention.

"Let me go!"

Yui's eyes became fixed on the nearby alleyway where she had heard the voice come from. Walking over, Yui took a peek in. what she saw caused her eyes to widen.

A male teen, probably around the same age as her, was being pinned against the wall. Three others that Yui could immediately tell were nobody good had him cornered. It was hard to tell from the distance, but Yui believed she saw a couple bruises on the outnumbered teen.

"Let me go! What did I do to you guys?" the teen asked.

"Hey, you went on our turf. Nobody does that without paying the fine." one of the punks said.

"That's ridiculous." he argued.

"It's the rules. And since you don't got much cash on you, you'll have to pay the rest another way."

"What's going on?" Ms. Sato said as she took a look at the alleyway. Her eyes widened at what she saw. "Oh my!"

Yui quickly brought the woman back around the corner before the punks could notice them. "Call the police." Yui told her. "I'll try and help the guy in there."

"What?! But Yui dear, that's-"

"Don't worry. I won't do anything too dangerous. I'm just gonna buy some time until the police arrive." Yui told her.

Not even waiting for a response from the woman, Yui went into the alleyway. She tried to stay quiet as she made her way closer. Once she was close but still a safe distance, she called out to them. "Hey!"

Yui's shout caught the attention of the three punks. One of them narrowed her eyes at her. "Huh? The hell do you want?"

"Three on one's a bit cowardly, don't you think?" Yui asked. "I already called the cops. I suggest you leave now while you have the chance."

The one holding the victim to the wall let him go as he slumped to the ground. He glared at Yui. "You know, you really shouldn't get involved in things that have nothing to do with you, bitch."

"What can I say? I'm a meddler."

"You're dead is what you are." he said as he glanced over to his two friends. "Get her!"

The other two rushed at Yui. Normally, most people would run in a situation like this. But Yui knew that if she ran away now, there was no telling what might happen to the guy they were mugging. She couldn't leave him in good conscience just to save herself. She knew her parents would do the same.

Plus she was fairly confident her self-defense training and her experience fighting in VRMMOs overshadowed whatever "training" a couple of street thugs had.

Quickly dodging a punch from the first thug that attacked her, she swung her leg for a sweep kick that knocked him off balance. She evaded the second punch and then shoved him into his friend, knocking them both over. She was more used to fighting with a sword, but she had self-defense lessons when she was younger for dangerous situations. Plus, she had been watching Rin fight with her fists for years allowing her to pick up a trick or two.

"Useless idiots." the third one said with a roll of his eyes. He pulled out a switchblade and charged at Yui. "You're gonna pay, bitch!"

Yui tensed up at seeing the knife, which made the situation much worse. She dodged a thrust from the blade, knowing she had to evade the sharp object at all costs. ' _Damnit, where are those cops?!'_ She kept up her evading, but she had been a bit slow when one of the slashes came. It scratched her left arm, making a slight cut. Yui put her hand over the wound, the stinging sensation of pain dulling her senses slightly.

"You like that, bitch?! Well now you're dead!" he said as he went in for another thrust.

Acting quickly, Yui sidestepped the thrust. She put a firm grip on the wrist holding the knife and swept her leg under him. She knocked him down and pinned him to the ground. Turning his wrist, Yui forced the knife out of the thug's hand and kicked it away.

"You were saying?" Yui said with a confident grin.

"Damnit…" he growled as he tried to get free of Yui's hold.

In the distance, Yui heard police sirens. Finally the cops had shown up. The two guys she had knocked down earlier heard them too and widened their eyes. They ran towards the parking lot at the other end of the alleyway. Yui's relief however, caused her to lower her guard for a brief moment and allow the one she had pinned down to get her off him. Yui fell over and now had the thug standing over her.

"You're gonna pay for this." he growled as he prepared to swing his fist down on Yui. Before he could do so however, the teen from earlier shoved him off her. He rolled over and now found the one he and his friends had been mugging staring him down.

"Get lost." he spat at the thug.

The sirens were getting far too close for his liking. "Tch, damnit all." he cursed as he took off running after his friends in retreat.

With the attackers gone, the teen offered his hand to Yui. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Yui said as she grabbed his hand and helped herself up. "Thanks."

"I should be the one thanking you. You saved me after all." he said.

Seconds later, the police arrived. Yui and the teen explained what happened to them to the cops. An officer took off after the three muggers in pursuit. Meanwhile, an ambulance was called for the two teens. Besides the multiple bruises the guy Yui saved had, Yui also had a cut on her arm that would most likely require stitches.

And of course the closest hospital just happened to be the one that Yui's mother worked at.

* * *

Yui sat up on the hospital room bed she was on. When she and the teen she had saved had been admitted to the hospital, Yui had been taken there. Not long after, a doctor came in and stitched up the cut on her arm. As much as Yui would have liked to avoid her mother finding out about this for the moment, her having to give her name made it clear pretty quickly who she was with her last name being Kirigaya.

Asuna came rushing into the room frantically. She saw Yui and rushed over to her. "Oh Yui! My sweet baby girl! Are you alright?!"

"Mom, relax! I'm fine!" Yui assured her. "I just needed a couple of stitches is all."

"How did this happen?! Did you get into a fight?!"

"Well… it's kind of a long story." Yui said.

Asuna listened as Yui explained what had occurred to her. When her daughter finished her story, Asuna sighed and shook her head. "You definitely have your father's reckless nature. There's no denying that."

"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I know you and dad would have done the same." Yui told her.

Asuna took a deep breath. "Yui, I know you're heart was in the right place and I'm proud of you for wanting to help someone in trouble. But you should have waited for the police to get there."

"If I had, there's no telling what might have happened to him." Yui argued.

"What am I going to do with you?" Asuna asked herself as she sighed. "Well in the end, I'm glad you got out of that with only a minor cut. I'll call your father and tell him to come pick you up."

"Mom, I'm-"

"No buts young lady. You need to go home for now." Asuna told her. "Just please allow me this. For my peace of mind."

Yui let out a sigh. "Alright."

"Thank you." Asuna said.

"Umm… excuse me?" a new voice spoke. Both Yui and Asuna looked over to the door to the room to see a teen standing before them. Yui recognized him as the boy from earlier. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, not at all." Yui said with a shake of her head. "Are you doing ok? You looked pretty beat up."

"Yeah. The doctors gave me some pain meds. The bruises will heal in a few days." he said. "I wanted to come thank you for helping me. It was very brave of you."

"So you're the boy, my daughter mentioned." Asuna said with narrowed eyes.

"My come on. Don't be harsh on him. He saved me too after all." Yui told her.

The boy nervously bowed in front of them. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. What I did was rather minor compared to your help."

"Well… It's not like you purposely put my daughter in harm's way or anything." Asuna said. "She does have a bad habit of acting like her father though."

"Nurse Kirigaya." one of the hospital staff called from the hallway. "I need to speak with you regarding the patient earlier."

"Coming." Asuna said. She looked back to her daughter. "I'll see you at home sweetie. I'll call your father to come as soon as I get the chance."

"Bye mom." Yui said as she watched Asuna leave. Now it was just her and the boy.

"So…" he said. "Your mom works here, huh?"

"Yeah. She's a nurse." Yui explained. "And a major worrywart."

"I'm sure she was just concerned about you." he said. "I'm sorry again that you got hurt because of me."

"No worries. It was my decision to help." Yui assured him. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself have I? I'm Yui Kirigaya."

"I'm Makato." the boy introduced himself.

"So what happened back there anyway?" Yui asked.

Makato sighed. "I was taking a shortcut on my way home. As it turned out, said shortcut happened to go through a hangout spot for some thugs. I tried to run, but they caught up with me before I could get to the main streets."

"What a bunch of jerks." Yui said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah. I'm just glad I got out of that thanks to you." he said. "Speaking of which… I was wondering if there was some way I could repay you for your help."

"That's really not necessary." Yui said with a shake of her head.

"I insist." he said. "Perhaps… I could buy you a meal or something?"

Yui narrowed her eyes at Makato. "Are you… hitting on me?"

Makato's cheeks went bright red as he feverishly shook his head. "N-No, I didn't mean it like that! I mean, not to say that you aren't cute. You are cute. Wait, that sounds creepy. I mean… uh…"

Yui giggled at Makato's nervous behavior. "It's alright. But if you insist on thanking me… I suppose buying me lunch could work."

"O-Okay then."

"Let's go to the cafeteria. Hospital food isn't anything special, but there's worse places to grab a meal." Yui said as she got off of the bed.

* * *

The hospital cafeteria was crowded with people. Yui and Makato sat together at a table, each with a plate of food.

"So does your family know you're alright?" Yui asked. "Do they know what happened?"

Makato nodded his head. "Yeah. I called my brother and let him know. He was a bit worried, but I told him I'm fine."

"Are you though? That bruise by your eye looks especially bad."

"It'll heal with time. If anything, you got hurt worse than I did, considering you needed stitches." Makato said.

"I got a bit careless." Yui admitted. "And I suppose a little reckless."

"A little? You took on three street thugs all by yourself."

"Okay, sure when you say it like that it sounds dumb." Yui admitted, getting a chuckle from both herself and Makato.

"You were really cool though." Makato admitted. "The way you fought them off. You were a total badass."

Yui blushed as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Yeah well… my parents made me take self-defense classes when I was younger. They wanted me to make sure I could defend myself."

"Well they sure worked."

"Those guys are just be lucky it was me. I have a friend named Rin and if she was there they wouldn't have gotten off so easy."

"Well your friend didn't save me. You did." Makato said. "You should be proud of yourself. You were like a hero."

"Yeah… my parents were similar when they were younger. I guess I'm a lot like them."

"By the way…" Makato said. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. And your name sounds familiar too."

Yui could only assume that Makato had seen the news back when she was revealed to be an AI. But with that being months ago, most probably didn't remember her name or face off the top of their head. While she had gotten comfortable with people knowing she had been an AI, she didn't want to suddenly make things feel weird with Makato. "O-Oh really? Guess I just have one of those faces."

"Hmm… I guess so." Makato said, shrugging it off.

Suddenly, Yui heard a text alert come to her phone. She saw a message from her father, telling her that he was in the lobby. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she got up from her seat. "Looks like my dad's here. I gotta get going."

"Alright then." Makato said. "It was nice talking with you, Yui. And thanks again."

"Don't mention it." Yui told him. Right as she was about to walk away, Yui paused for a moment before going into her purse and taking out a pen. She wrote something on her napkin and passed it to Makato. "Here. Take this."

"What is it?" Makato asked.

"My number." Yui said. "Maybe we could… get together again sometime."

Not giving Makato a chance to respond, Yui walked away and made her way to the lobby where her father was waiting. A satisfied smile was on her face as she left. She didn't know why, but talking with Makato made her feel… something. It was a feeling she never had felt before.

When she met up with her father in the lobby, Yui explained what had happened like she did with her mother. Kazuto was concerned about her, but in the end the fact that she was safe was what mattered most to him. The two got into his car and drove home.

When Yui arrived home with her father, Strea came rushing downstairs. "Yui, are you alright?! I hear you got attacked and-"

"Sis, relax. I'm fine." Yui told her. She showed Strea her left arm. "See? Just needed some stitches."

"Who's the jerk that attacked you? When I get my hands on him, I'll-"

"You won't be doing anything of the sort, Strea." Kazuto told her. "The last thing we need is you picking a fight and getting hurt like Yui or worse."

Strea let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know."

"As for you Yui…" Kazuto said. "I get the gist of what you were trying to do. And I can't scold you for doing the right thing. But promise me that next time you'll help someone in a much safer way."

"Yes dad…" Yui said with a frown.

"Good." Kazuto said. He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and walked away.

Strea looked over at her sister. "So what exactly happened?"

"Some guy was being mugged by these jerks. So I stepped in to help." Yui explained. "One of them scratched me with his knife. Long story short, the both of us are fine. He bought me lunch as thanks."

"He bought you lunch, huh?" Strea asked. "And this guy… how old was he?"

Yui didn't like where her sister was going with this. "I don't know. About our age I think."

"Was he cute?"

"Strea, come on! It's not like that!" Yui complained.

"Mhm." Strea said with a teasing giggle. "Did you get his number?"

"Well I sorta kinda… gave him mine."

Strea showed a big grin. "Yui's got a boyfriend. Yui's got a boyfriend."

"Strea!"

"Kidding! Kidding!" Strea said. "Anyways, I've still got some homework to finish. Talk to you later, sis."

With that, Strea headed back upstairs to her room. Yui decided to go upstairs to her own room. As she walked inside, she heard her phone get another text message. She looked at it and saw it was from Makato, giving her his number. He also added that he would like to hang out sometime if at all possible. The way he worded it though was filled with nervousness about not wanting to sound creepy.

Yui couldn't help but giggle at the message. Something about talking with Makato made her feel something… different. A feeling she had never felt before in her life.

 **A/N: Hope you all liked the introduction of Makato. Next chapter will be the start of a new short arc I've been wanting to write for a bit now. I have a feeling it'll be one you'll all enjoy. Until then everyone.**


	72. Trouble in Aesir

**A/N: Hey readers. Here's the new chapter starting a brand new arc. I'm glad to hear many of you enjoyed the introduction of Makato last chapter. Sad to say, he will not be featured in this arc. Don't worry though, he will be showing up later in the story. You'll be in for some sweet moments and maybe even a few surprises. But enough about that. On with the new arc.**

"Hiyah!" Luna shouted as she swung her sword at a monster, the blade clashing with the same one the monster held. Luna tried to hold her ground, but the strength difference was too much. She leaped back to put some distance between them.

From nearby, Lilly called out to her sister. "Keep your cool, Luna! Wait for an opening, and then unleash your attack!"

"Right!" Luna confirmed with a nod. She and the monster stared each other down. It was clear an opening wasn't going to present itself like magic if she just stared at her opponent. So she took the advice her father had given her from training earlier, and decided to make one herself.

Kicking off the ground, Luna sped at the monster. The enemy got ready to strike, but stopped when Luna dashed to the side. The little girl kept dashing around the monster, confusing it as it tried to locate her.

' _Now's my chance.'_ Luna thought as she came at the monster from behind. Her sword lit up aglow with the light of a sword skill as she unleashed a powerful attack on the monster's back. The sword skill depleted the rest of the monster's hp and it shattered away.

"Alright! Nice job, Luna!" Rin cheered.

Luna giggled and smile happily from the praise she received from her sisters. Along with Rin and Lilly, there were also Yui, Strea, Tetsuya, Naoki, and Sayaka.

"That was pretty good Luna." Lilly said. "You're getting a lot better at fighting in ALO."

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "This new sword is really amazing too."

"Well you did work hard on the quest we did to get it." Rin told her. "It only seemed right."

The weapon in question was sheathed on Luna's back. It had a red handle with a soft yellow grip where her hand went when holding the weapon. It's name was Faithkeeper, and it had helped Luna with being able to fight some of the higher level enemies she came across, despite her skill levels still being at only average numbers.

"Your speed has gotten better." Yui noted. "Though you need to be careful when facing some enemies that can sense you better, especially players. Once you activate a sword skill, your control of your body becomes severely limited until it's finished. You should make sure to only use it when you've knocked the enemy off balance or you're sure they can't block or dodge it."

Luna nodded her head understandingly. "Ok. I'll do that, Yui."

Naoki patted Luna on the back. "But man, you're a speedy little kid. I could barely keep up with you."

"Papa's been giving me lessons whenever he has days off from work." Luna explained. "He's shown me lots of useful tips."

"Maybe you'll be able to beat Naoki soon." Rin said with a teasing smirk.

"As if!" Naoki said. "No way am I letting her beat me anytime soon when she hasn't even been playing for a year!"

The group shared a laugh at Naoki's expense. "So what's your one-handed sword skill level at, Luna?" Yui asked.

Luna opened up her menu and took a look at her skill list. "Umm… it says 620."

"So it's gone up by about 30 in this grinding session alone." Yui said. "Well that should be a good stopping point for now. How about we take a short break and go eat somewhere in Arun."

"Ok."

Heading back to the city, the group brought out their wings and took off into the sky. Fighting monsters and going on adventures was fun and all, but nothing about Alfheim Online excited Luna more than being able to fly. It was such a thrilling feeling, being able to soar in the air with the wind blowing through her hair.

After a short flight, the group landed in Arun. The city was as busy as ever, with players and NPCs crowding the streets. It truly was the center of Alfheim.

"Let's see… where should we go eat?" Yui pondered.

"I heard about this new cafe on the north side of the city." Sayaka mentioned. "Perhaps we could check it out."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tetsuya said.

"Oh boy! I can't wait!" Luna said with a big grin. She ran on ahead, the allure of delicious food blinding her.

"Luna wait! Slow down!" Lilly called out.

Luna turned her head back to the group. "Come on everyone! Let's hurry and-"

The young Imp was cut off as she bumped into another player and fell down. "Oof." Looking up, she saw a male Salamander looking down at her with a glare. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

"Who do you think you are, shrimp?" the player asked angrily. "This game isn't a daycare center you know."

"Luna!" Rin exclaimed as she and Lilly ran over to their sister. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Luna nodded as she got up and brushed herself off.

"What, are these your babysitters?" the Salamander asked. "You need to keep a better eye on this brat."

Luna frowned. "I'm sorry. It was my bad."

"Oh and that's supposed to make everything better?"

Rin glared at the player. "What's your deal pal?! She said she was sorry! Besides, it's not like you got hurt or anything!"

"Not physically. But having some snot-nosed kid bump into me like that? It ruins my image. My rep, you know?"

"Your rep?" Lilly questioned in disbelief.

"Yeah! I happen to be THE top-level player Xenos. I'm sure you've heard of me." he said in an arrogant tone.

"Nope. Not even once." Rin said with a shake of her head.

"Is everything alright?" Yui asked as she and the others caught up with the three Hiryo sisters.

"More idiots. Just great." Xenos said. "Having this many losers around me is gonna ruin my image."

Strea narrowed her eyes. "Is this guy for real?"

"Whatever. Just hurry and pay up. You owe me for so rudely running into me earlier."

"Excuse me?!" Rin asked. "We don't owe you jack!"

"Tch, so you're not only rude. You're inconsiderate." Xenos said. "Idiots like you don't give superior players the respect they deserve."

Luna pouted at the Salamander. "Don't you call my sisters and friends idiots you big bully!"

Xenos raised a brow at this. "Oh? You think you're tough, do ya kid? Well maybe I should show you how awesome I am in a duel."

"Fine!"

"You sure about this, Luna?" Lilly asked. "You don't have to fight this guy if you don't want to. He's just an obnoxious jerk."

"I can do it." Luna assured her sister. "I don't like players that act like big meanies."

"Oh, so I'm a big meanie am I?" Xenos asked with a chuckle. "Fine then. I'm gonna enjoy this."

Rin and Lilly looked at each other worriedly, but Yui put a hand on their shoulders. "Let's let this play out. Luna's not exactly an amateur when it comes to combat."

The group stepped back to give Luna and Xenos space for their duel. Several other players that had been watching the altercation did the same. Xenos opened his menu and send a duel request over to Luna. She accepted it, with the terms being whoever reached 50% of their health first loses.

"Try not to lose too quickly, shrimp." Xenos said as he brought out the large two-handed sword on his back. "At least give me a chance to give these people a show."

"I don't know about this…" Lilly said.

"Don't worry. This guy's gear looks decent at best." Yui said. "Plus if he was as famous as he boasts himself to be, I'm pretty sure we would have heard of him."

The timer slowly ticked down as Luna unsheathed her sword. She thought back to all of the lessons she had gotten from her family and friends about PvP fights. She was still a little inexperienced in them, but she knew she could do this. She refused to lose to a jerk like this guy.

3...2...1… START!

The second the fight started, Xenos kicked off the ground and sped at Luna. His sword lit up in a orange light, activating the two-handed sword skill Avalanche. Luna dashed right at him with her sword gripped tightly.

"You lose, brat!" Xenos smirked as he swung his blade down at Luna, but widened his eyes when she seemingly disappeared out of nowhere. "What the?! Where'd she go?!"

To those watching the duel, they saw Luna dash under Xenos, using her small size to her advantage. As Xenos's skill hit nothing but air, Luna slashed at him with her blade. The cut to his back told Xenos where she was and he turned around to strike her back, but before he could, Luna dashed past him, cutting into his avatar once again. She sped around, hitting him with small cuts as she dashed past him time and time again.

"Stand still you little twerp!" Xenos yelled.

"Luna's got this. He can't even keep track of her." Naoki smirked.

"Yeah Luna!" Rin cheered. "Kick his ass!"

Many of the players spectating chuckled at the so-called "amazing" Xenos having so much trouble against a little girl. He growled in anger at being humiliated like this. He refused to lose like this. He quickly spun his sword around for a full circle slash. No matter which direction Luna's next attack came from, she would find his sword there.

Luna gasped when she saw the sword spin as she dashed in for another attack. She couldn't stop herself, but brought her sword up to take the brunt of the hit. She was knocked away and tumbled back.

"Gotcha!" Xenos smirked as he saw Luna laying on the ground. He lunged at her with his sword ready to skewer her. "You're mine!"

"Luna!" Rin and Lilly exclaimed.

Luna gasped as the blade came for her. As it neared her however, an odd sensation came over her. Her body moved on its own, evading the blade and getting at the now exposed Xenos's body. She swung her blade upwards, ripping through Xenos's avatar. She then delivered a horizontal slash to his waist as she passed him. The two slashes easily brought Xenos's health below the halfway point and the duel was concluded with Luna as the victor.

But Luna wasn't celebrating.

' _What was that?'_ Luna thought as she tried to understand what had just happened. ' _My body moved on its own. It was like I was being… controlled.'_

"Luna!" the sound of Rin and Lilly's voices snapped her out of her thoughts as she saw the two girls come over along with all of her friends.

"That was awesome Luna!" Rin said. "You were so awesome with that last move you pulled!"

"To be honest, I thought you were finished for a second. But you really proved me wrong." Tetsuya told her.

"It was certainly impressive." Yui nodded. "You've improved even more than I thought."

"Damnit!" Xenos cursed. The group looked at the Salamander, who was kneeling on the ground, lamenting his loss. "That's not fair! That brat had to have cheated!"

"Making excuses now? Geez, you really are pathetic." Rin said.

"You little-" Xenos was about to attack Luna, but seeing Yui and the others move into protect her made him stop. He clenched his fists and ran away. "I won't forget this! You'll pay for humiliating me!"

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Man, talk about a sore loser."

"Well then, let's continue. We've got a cafe to go to!" Rin grinned as she started to walk away. The others in the group soon followed her.

As Yui was about to go with her friends, she felt Luna grab her arm. She looked down at the girl. "What is it Luna? Something wrong?"

"Yui, did you ever experience anything… odd when you started ALO as a player?" Luna asked.

"Odd?" Yui questioned. "Odd how?"

"That last move I made in the duel. It was like I wasn't in control of my body. As if someone else moved it for me." Luna explained. "I thought maybe it might be because I was an AI."

Yui pondered for a moment. "Well, I can't recall anything like that happening to me. Has this ever happened before?"

Luna shook her head. "No, this is the first time."

Yui put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Maybe it was just your instincts kicking in and you didn't realize it. I wouldn't put much thought into it as long as it doesn't keep happening." she said. "Now let's get going. If we don't hurry, Rin and Naoki will eat all the food and there'll be nothing left for us."

Luna let out a giggle. "Right. Let's go."

With that the two of them ran on to catch up with the rest of the group. Luna tried to put what had happened in the back of her mind. But she couldn't help but feel there was more to it.

* * *

"Man, this food IS good!" Rin said as she ate her meal at the cafe with her friends. "The chef here must have a maxed out cooking skill or something."

"It is pretty tasty." Yui admitted. "I'll definitely have to come here again sometime."

The group of friends were sitting together at an outdoor table for the cafe. Even if it was virtual, food was always refreshing to have after vigorous training. Luna was proving the truth of that as she scoffed down the food on her plate.

"Yum!" Luna smiled. "It's so good!"

"I just love how you can eat as much as you want in VR and not get fat." Lilly said.

Naoki shot a teasing grin at the Cait Sith. "Yeah, you'd probably be a lot rounder if that wasn't the case."

Lilly shot daggers at Naoki as she aimed her fingers at him for a blast from her Elemental Pistol. "Do you want me to send you flying?"

"N-No thanks! I'll be quiet now!"

The group of friends shared a laugh as they continued. "So what should we do next?" Strea asked. "Grinding's good and all, but fighting monsters over and over again just to raise a skill level gets pretty boring after awhile."

"Hmm…" Yui said. "Any ideas?"

"I've got one." Sayaka proposed. "You guys hear about the rumored quest NPC?"

"Rumored quest NPC?" Tetsuya asked. "What's so rumored about it?"

"Well apparently there's a NPC that hangs around in Arun that appeared a week ago. It has a quest marker above its head. But every time people go up and talk to him, he ignores them and says "You are not the one.". Lots of players have been trying various things to try and activate the quest, but so far nothing's worked."

"That is rather strange." Lilly admitted. "Are there any hints or clues?"

Sayaka shook her head. "None. That's why everyone's at such a loss."

"Why don't we give it a try then?" Rin suggested. "Couldn't hurt to at least see for ourselves."

"I suppose." Yui said. "Are you alright with that, Luna?"

"Mhm." Luna said with a nod. "A mysterious quest sounds super exciting!"

"It's settled then. Let's go find that quest NPC!" Strea said excitedly. "After we finish eating of course."

With that, the group continued their meal. As they did, they talked about what possible obstacles there might be for activating the quest. It was rather rare for Alfheim after all. And if it was so tricky to activating, chances were that there was a rare reward waiting for whoever managed to clear it. Any gamer would get excited over the allure of something like that. Once they were finished eating, they left the cafe and headed to the quest NPC. Sayaka led them to where she had heard he hung around. After a short walk through the streets, they finally found an NPC with a quest icon over their head.

"There he is." Sayaka pointed out.

The others looked over at the NPC. There was one thing about him that stood out. He didn't seem to be from any of the nine fairy races. Instead, he had silver wings and wore strange looking robes.

"Well he definitely stands out. That's for sure." Rin said.

"Let's go up and talk to him." Yui suggested. They walked up to the NPC and she spoke. She decided to start by trying the most common activation line she knew for quest NPCs. "Hello sir. Is there something you need?"

The NPC looked at Yui. "I am in search of someone rumored to be here. You are not them."

"Ok. Rude." Strea said.

"He said he's in search of someone. Does that mean we need to find another NPC and bring them here?" Lilly wondered.

"Seriously?! How many NPCs do you think there are in Arun?!" Naoki complained. "We could spend days searching!"

Luna walked up to the NPC. "Excuse me mister, can you describe who it is you're looking for?"

As the NPC turned to Luna, his eyes widened. "It… It can't be…"

"Huh? What's going on with this guy?" Tetsuya asked.

"That presence… Could you be the one I've been searching for?" the NPC asked.

The others blinked their eyes in surprise. They looked at the quest NPC, then to Luna, then back to the quest NPC again.

Rin was the first to speak. "Umm… what?"

Luna tilted her head. "You're saying I'm the one you're looking for? Why?"

"That soul… There's no mistake." the NPC said. "I come from the realm of Aesir. At current, our world is being attacked. The perpetrator is someone who's appearance is similar to yours."

"Hang on. Are you saying Luna is attacking your world?" Lilly asked.

"I can't say for certain. The report does indeed say it was a little girl. But there are some differences in appearance." he spoke.

Luna shook her head. "But it wasn't me. I would never try to destroy someone's world."

"Hmm… then perhaps you can assist me." the NPC said. "I can bring you to the world of Aesir. If you can find the perpetrator and help us arrest them, the people of my world will be sure to reward you."

The group all glanced at each other. "Ok am I the only one that finds this weird?" Rin asked. "Why is Luna the requirement for activating the quest?"

"Maybe it needed to be a female Imp?" Strea suggested.

"I suppose it's possible… But it's unlikely that one hadn't already spoke to the NPC." Lilly said.

"In any case, we won't find any answers by simply standing around." Yui said. She looked at Luna. "It's your call Luna. Do you want to check it out."

Luna nodded her head. "Yeah! I want to help!"

"Very well then." the NPC said. "I will open a gate to my world. I wish you luck."

After saying this, the NPC waved his hand and a portal opened up behind him. The group looked at each other and gave a nod of confirmation before walking through it, with Luna taking the lead.

As they stepped through to the other side, the eight players found themselves in a completely new land. It was unlike anything any of them had seen before. They were standing on pale-yellow clouds, yet it seemed as solid as the stone streets of Arun. Buildings that looked nothing like the ones in Alfheim were all around them. Some were damaged or in ruins however, a state that they could only assume was the work of this rumored perpetrator. It was also surprisingly quiet, as if no one was around.

"So this is Aesir?" Naoki asked. "It's certainly not like Alfheim, that's for sure."

"We should start looking for the person that's been wrecking the place." Yui suggested.

"Ok, but where should we start?" Strea asked. "It's not like whoever did it is gonna come out and say hi."

"Aaaiiiyyyyeeeee!"

The sudden scream from Luna caused everyone to turn to the young Imp. But when they did, all of their eyes widened in surprise. Another young girl had tackled Luna to the ground. She didn't seem hostile though. Instead she was… hugging her. The strange girl had animal ears and a tail, much like Lilly's Cait Sith avatar. But this new girl's fur on them were a light blue. She also had pitch black hair that went down to her waist. As one of them were about to speak, the girl let out a happy squeal of delight.

"I'm so happy you've come back, Jormungandr!"

 **A/N: And with that, the first chapter of the new arc is done. Hope you enjoy the rest of the arc. Hope to get the next chapter by the end of next month. Gonna aim for a monthly update for this fic. With any luck, this last semester of college won't be as exhausting as the previous one.**


	73. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**A/N: Hey readers. Back with another chapter. Enjoy.**

A little girl coming out of nowhere and hugging Luna was not what anyone had been expecting when they had first stepped into the world of Aesir. In fairness though, none of them had really known what to expect when they had come here. Whatever was going on, none of them had any clue as to what it was.

"Oh this is great!" the little girl said, continuing to hug Luna. "I never thought I'd ever see you again, Jormungandr!"

"Hey! Get off!" Luna said, finally separating herself from the mystery girl. "Who are you? And I'm not Jormungandr! I'm Luna!"

"Oh really? My mistake then." she said. "Anyway, my name's Fenny! It's good to see you again Jormungandr!"

"It's Luna!"

"Oopsie! My bad." Fenny giggled. "Well then, why don't we-"

"You there! Halt!"

At the sound of the sudden shout, two large goat-like beasts came down from above. Both of them glared at Fenny.

"Aw, they found me already?" Fenny asked. "You Aesir guardians are getting better at this."

"You will not get away this time." one of the beasts said. "We will apprehend you."

"Oh boy! Game time again, then?" Fenny said. "Catch me if you-" The girl cut herself short when as she turned to run, she realized there was nothing but a wall there, completely blocking her off. She turned back to the beasts. "Can I get a five second head start?"

"Get her!" the other one shouted. Both of them charged at Fenny to attack.

Strea scratched her head as she tried to make sense of the situation. "Um, can someone explain to me what's going on here?"

"That girl… Is she a Cait sith?" Tetsuya asked.

Lilly shook her head. "No way. Those ears and tail look more like a dog than a cat. Actually… more like a wolf to be honest."

"That's certainly odd." Rin said. "So what should we do?"

"She's being ganged up on! We have to help her!" Luna told them. She hurried on into the fray, drawing her sword.

"Luna, hang on! Wait up!" Yui called out.

Luna ignored the calls from her friends as she leaped in. She swung her sword and slashed at one to get it's attention, standing next to Fenny.

"Tch, seems the mutt has friends." one of the beasts said.

"It matters not. Kill her too." the other one said.

"Not happening, pal!" Rin said as she leaped in and swung a punch at one beast, knocking it into its friend. "You're up, Lilly!"

Taking aim, Lilly snapped her fingers and unleashed a blast of fire at the beast. With them being so close to each other, they both ended up being hit, shaving away a good chunk of their HP. Before they could do anything else, a cloud of frost came from Sayaka's staff, encasing their legs in ice.

"They're immobilized! Go for it, Naoki!" Sayaka called out.

"On it!" the Salamander shouted, jumping in and swinging his blade. Once again, a large chunk of health was shaved off of the monsters.

"Grr… It seems we must retreat." one of the monsters said.

"Agreed." the other nodded. "We must warn the gods that the criminal has obtained help from the fairies."

With that, the two leaped into the air and hastily fell back. The danger was finally gone for the group of fairies.

"Well that was certainly unexpected." Tetsuya said.

"Well perhaps our new friend can explain herself." Yui said. She turned to Luna and blinked in surprise. "Luna, where's Fenny?"

Luna turned around in shock, realizing the wolf-like girl was nowhere to be found. "What?! But she was here just a second ago!"

"Hey, Jormungandr! Over here!" the sudden shout from Fenny caught everyone's attention as they looked over and saw her waving in the distance. "There's someplace I wanna show you!"

"Wait!" Luna called out, but it was no use as Fenny ran on ahead.

Lilly crossed her arms as she wondered about their situation. "Something strange is going on. Why does Fenny keep calling Luna, Jormungandr?"

"Wasn't Jormungandr that big snake thing Luna turned into when we first met her?" Tetsuya questioned.

Luna knew all too well what Jormungandr was. Back when she had first met her parents, she later found out that a demonic snake had hid inside of her for the entirety of her life. She later turned into that same snake and terrorized Alfheim in a giant battle in Arun. She had tried to delete it along with herself, but a small part remained within her program. However, that part should have no longer been able to be a part of her since her return to ALO. She was a human now, and Jormungandr should be gone for good as far as she knew.

' _I don't get any of this.'_ Luna thought. ' _But Fenny seems to. If I can talk to her again, maybe she can give me some answers.'_

"I want to go after Fenny." the young Imp told everyone. "She may know something. I can't leave here without finding out what's going on."

"I guess there's no harm in it." Lilly said. "At the end of the day, this is still a quest. We might as well see it through to the end."

"I suppose…" Yui said. She couldn't deny that she was rather curious about this as well. But there was a part of this that was nagging at her.

The group of fairies all hurried after Fenny, trying to catch up with the mysterious girl. There seemed to be no sign of her though so they could only go in the direction they saw her and hope for the best. From the corner of the twisting route of buildings they saw the animal girl turn into the left. She was skipping along as if she didn't have a care in the world.

As they met the corner turn, they were greeted by Norse beasts who were wearing armor. Four of them struggled around trying to get Fenny off one of their backs as she rode them happily. "Weeee! This is fun!"

"Fenny!"

The shout from Luna got the girl to lose focus for a moment too late as she was bucked off the bull and landed on a higher ledge. Though she was away from danger, the beasts focused their attention on the faires that had arrived.

Fenny waved to them with a smile on her face. "Hey Jormungadr! Glad to see you're following me! Ditch those losers and lets keep going!"

Luna yelled after her but the girl solidly ignored her cry and left skipping along the opposite direction. The four beasts looked to each other in fear, staring at Luna as they did so.

"Did that brat say Jormungandr!?"

"She did! But that snake was killed a long time ago!"

The biggest one from among them stepped forward and let out a hard snort from his nostrils. "We can't take any chances here. If that girl is the snake then we must destroy her!"

Rin cursed their luck while baring her fists. It seems that following that girl would only get them into trouble. "Well looks like we're in this for the long haul guys! Lets kick their asses!"

They all drew their weapons as the beasts went into a charging formation and attacked right down the middle of them. The eight of them split apart with the monsters following two of them each with brutal speed.

Rin quite literally grabbed the bull by its horns and pushed back to slow its charge but her feet kept slipping on the smooth floor. She was lifted off the ground with the monster lifting his head in a move to slam her against one of the buildings. Using her sense of balance and strength, she twisted herself around on its horns and stomped her foot into his head sending him to the ground. Landing in front of the monster with a firm grip, she lifted him up by the horns proper and tossed him into a nearby pillar. Lilly flew by the rubble and brought out her Elemental Pistol, firing several rounds into the debris where the bull laid.

"Get ready sis!" Strea cheered as she faked out the goat monster than rammed itself head first into a building. Yui acknowledged her sister while bringing out her swords and flew towards them. The goat got out of the hole he made and swung his large fists as Strea. The Gnome jumped out of the way about him and slashed her sword across the arms that were left vulnerable.

The monster moaned in pain from the attack and backed away from the fairy as she started to fly in with an overhead slash. Summoning its strength, the goat grabbed the blade just as it was about to hit him again. Looking out of the corner of her eye, Strea smiled and let the blade go just as Yui rushed in and hit the monster with a seven hit combo sword skill in his exposed gut. The last hit made him stumble back but in doing so, he threw the blade he was holding upwards where Strea was waiting. Catching her weapon mid-flight, she brought it down on the guard causing him to bowl over and fall to the ground defeated.

"Geez, these guards are a pain." Strea pouted as she pulled her sword out from the monster.

' _Something isn't right here.'_ Yui thought, still holding her swords out in front of the fallen beast. ' _Why are the Aesir acting so aggressive? A small girl playing around with them shouldn't put them on edge. But with this Fenny throwing the name Jormungandr around, it's likely putting them on edge.'_

"Argh! Stay down you oversized pony!" Naoki grunted as the horse faced guard got back up from being knocked down by him and Sakaya. The mage flew back away from the monster just as he madly rushed at Naoki, forcing him back as he used his greatsword to block the attack from the axe. The Salamander struggled against the force of the monster but held his ground the best he could. His Strength stat showing as he refused to budge an inch even as the horse monster applied more force to the attack. With a roar, Naoki threw the axe to the side and hacked at the legs with a sword skill. The beast roared in pain and fell over with his weapon clattering to the side of him.

"Hiya!" From the Undine's wand, as cloud of frost wrapped around the limbs of the guard which prevented him from getting up. He whined while struggling against the prison, looking to see Naoki's greatsword lighting up with a sword skill.

"You assholes need to step off!" He launched a heavy horizontal swing that hit him square in the chest. The monster's HP fell down all the way to the red as he fell limp, the aggro leaving the duo and Naoki flew back to Sayaka's side.

Near the wall that Fenny jumped over, Tetsuya and Luna worked together to stand off against the ringleader of the guards. The red maned wolf-man used his broadsword to deliver massive swings to keep the two separated. His back hitting a wall, Tetsuya made his stand and parried the horizontal slash with a direct hit to the middle of the enemy's blade. The delay stun pushed the wolf back for but a moment before recovering to grab the teen's rapier mid thrust half way to his stomach. The guard pushed him back to the wall, hitting his weapon to the side to leave the player defenseless. Luna jumped in just as Tetsuya was about to get slashed and forced the attack back with her own sword skill.

"I've got this. Get your weapon." Though she couldn't see it, Tetsuya nodded and flew to his discarded rapier while the wolf reeled in on her.

The monster took swing after swing at Luna with unrelenting force, never giving her a moment to relatilate. The slashes being followed up with great succession in such a way that the young fairy couldn't counter. Yet as the guard swung his sword, she took notice of a pattern. ' _He keeps swinging side to side. He never goes vertical once, not even when Tetsuya was cornered. If that's the case…'_

Luna kept playing along with the wolf's aggression as he 'pushed' her into a corner like he did to her friend. Just as her back hit the wall, a glint in the monster's eye. Seeing her chance, the girl slid under the monster's legs just as he did a heavy swing into the wall. The sword got stuck in the building and wouldn't budge with how deep it was in. Luna took this chance to unleash a hard hitting two hit combo sword skill across its back. A deep red X was crossed into the wolf's back making it howl in pain. Annoyed at the fairy's audacity, the guard let the weapon go and began to attack wildly with its claws, focusing squarely on her. The blood rage focus proved to be the wrong plan as Tetsuya came in from the side and unleashed a flurry of blows against his right flank. The final hit from the sword skill sending him back to the horse guard that Naoki and Sayaka finished knocking down. The wolf tripped over the groaning body of his fellow guard and growled as he watched the fairies surround them.

"Grr… To think that fairies would side with that destructive little brat. Men, get up!" The leader barked, causing the others to slowly get up. Yui and the others prepared their weapons to fight, but from the movements the enemies were displaying, it was clear that they weren't going to continue the fight. "We must report to the Aesir. The fairies of below have conspired with that mutt, we must prepare our defenses accordingly!'

"Hey, wait!"

Luna's call to the guards fell on deaf ears as they all scattered into the different nooks and crannies of the heavenly realm. Their only source of information gone, the group gathered up with confusion on their minds.

"Something isn't right here." Yui started as she looked to the others. "The people here seem to be much more aggressive than they should be. Even for a supposed quest, this seems almost like borderline focus fire."

"And they keep mentioning Fenny as some sort of beast." Sayaka added. "They're lumping us together with her for a misunderstanding."

Tetsuya scratched his chin in thought. There was no way that these events weren't connected in some way. "It is possible that interacting with this Fenny might have caused some sort of flag to be raised for the monsters here."

"But for them to aggro us if she's supposed to be the bigger 'threat'..." Naoki emphasized that last part with air quotes. "... It just doesn't make much sense. If she's the bigger target, why let her get away."

Questions were being raised with no answer in sight. Things were only becoming more and more confusing the longer they stayed in the realm of the gods. Luna stepped forward to where Fenny ran off to and spread her wings. "The only way we're going to get an answer is from her. Fenny seems to be leading us on and I want to find out what it is."

Both Rin and Lilly gave a concerned look to one another. It was clear that something was bothering their sister ever since Fenny mentioned the name Jormungandr. If Luna kept chasing this, who knows where this mess would end up.

In the end, the group all followed Luna as they gave chase to the mysterious NPC. Each time they caught up to Fenny in one way or another, she would dodge them or have the guards chasing her go after them. It was a quite annoying game of cat and mouse, a game that Fenny seemed to be an expert in. All the while she continued taunting and poking fun at Luna who was becoming increasingly frustrated at her being called that name she hated.

As the group had forced another batch of guards to retreat, Rin and Lilly went up to Luna with concern adorning their faces. "Luna, are you okay?"

Luna turned to her sisters and nodded her head. Though this chase was getting tiring, she wasn't going to slow down until she got her answers. "I'm fine. We can keep going now."

"Yeah about that… That's kind of what we're worried about," Rin admitted as she bent down slightly to meet Luna at eye level. "You know that we don't have to continue this if it's making you uncomfortable, right?"

The young Imp did nod her head but there was a look of stubborn determination in her eyes that Rin knew she couldn't convince otherwise. "I'm fine. All I want are answers to the stuff she's been saying. All this seems too weird to be just a normal quest and I want to figure out what it is."

Knowing that nothing they could say would change her mind, the sisters sighed and continued on with the others. Their worries still in the back of their minds but wanted to see this through along with Luna to the end.

' _I need answers.'_ Luna thought to herself. ' _That feeling before, when it was like my body was possessed. Was it really just my instincts? Or was it something else? And if so, is this related to it?'_

Soon enough they finally caught Fenny as she snuck her way into the main throne room of the Aesir. The room where the Gods who ruled over Alfheim resided. Her sneaking into there would more than likely cause a huge upset if any of those gods were in there but this also cornered Fenny as she would have no place left to run. All eight fairies rushed into the slightly cracked open door and shoved it wide open. There was Fenny mid run as she was approaching the throne of Odin which was empty.

"We got you now, you little pipsqueak!" Rin yelled as she, Strea and Naoki moved forward just as the girl in question stopped to turn around. "Now spit it out! Why are you leading us on? And trust me, for your sake." She trailed off as she cracked her knuckles threateningly. "We better like the answer."

Fenny showed a smile as she looked at the fairies, namely Luna in particular. "Oh goodie! You made it Jormungandr!"

Luna stepped forward. "For the last time, I'm not Jormungandr! I'm Luna!"

"Oh but you are Jormungandr." Fenny told her. "I know it."

' _Something's not right.'_ Yui thought. ' _Why is Fenny so obsessed with Luna? Or more importantly, Jormungandr? I know something doesn't add up with this girl, but what?'_

"Now come closer." Fenny said. "So the ritual can begin."

' _Wait… Her wolf-like appearance… The name Fenny… Of course! Why didn't I see it before?!'_ Yui realized. She quickly shouted over to Luna. "Get away from her Luna! That appearance isn't the real her!"

Fenny quickly showed a malicious grin, confirming Yui's suspicions. She snapped her fingers and the doors to the throne room suddenly shut behind them, trapping them all inside. At the same time, a barrier of light appeared, cutting Luna off from the others.

"Luna!" Rina and Lilly exclaimed, rushing towards her before getting blocked off by the barrier. They both pounded on it, but to no avail. Luna gasped as she realized she was now all alone with Fenny.

"Hehehe… Hahahahahahaha!" Fenny laughed hysterically. "I can't believe how easy it was to lure you here. Right where I needed you to be."

"What are you talking about?" Luna asked Fenny. "And what's going on?!"

"What's going on is that I brought you here on purpose." the little girl explained. "All so I could fully bring out your other half."

Luna shivered at the implication of Fenny's words. "My other half…?"

"That's right. The demon snake that lives within you." Fenny told her. "I'm going to revive Jormungandr from within you!"

"I should have put it together sooner." Yui growled in frustration. "Fenny isn't her real name."

"You finally put it together. Just a little too late." Fenny said. "Allow me to give you my real name. Fenrir."

Lilly widened her eyes. "The demon wolf from Norse mythology!"

Luna glared at Fenrir. "I'm not going to become Jormungandr again! Never ever!"

"Oh but you will." Fenrir giggled. "You don't have a choice."

Luna reached for her sword, but before she could grab it, Fenrir used her magic as chains came up from beneath the ground and wrapped around Luna, binding her.

"Luna!" Rin and Lilly exclaimed.

Luna struggled to break free of the chains, but they were too strong. "Ngh. Let me go!"

"Not just yet." Fenrir said. "First thing's first. I need to bring Jormungandr back to life. And I need you as the catalyst. And once Jormungandr is brought back, we will lay waste to Aesir, as well as the world of the fairies! All of the worlds connected by Yggdrasil will be annihilated!"

The wolf-like girl rose up into the air. She went up towards the cloudy skies above them, with Luna being dragged up as well by her magic.

"Get back here!" Rin shouted as she slammed her fists against the barrier. "Give Luna back!"

"Tempting offer, but no." Fenrir laughed. "Anyhow, I've got an old friend to wake up. Toodeloo!"

"Rin! Lilly!" Luna shouted back.

Rin and Lilly watched as their little sister became further and further away. She and Fenrir went above the clouds, out of their sight.

The two girls were gone. And they were all stuck, unable to do anything.

 **A/N: Hope you're enjoying the arc so far. Still a little more to go so you'll just have to wait and see what happens next.**


	74. The Winged Demon

**A/N: Hey guys. For all of you that have been watching Alicization, I bet you're as psyched as I am with how it's going. Don't worry though, it's only going to get better if the Light Novels are anything to go by.**

 **In any case, it's time for a new chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.**

"Damn it!" Rin shouted as she slammed her fist against the barrier, trying everything she could to break it. "Drop this barrier you stupid mutt!"

"Rin, she can't hear you anymore." Tetsuya told her. "And we won't be able to break through that barrier with brute force."

"Then what _are_ we supposed to do?!" Rin shouted. "Fenny, or Fenrir, or whoever the hell she is has Luna! And she's trying to reawaken that damn snake thing from within her!"

"I'm such an idiot." Lilly said, frustrated with herself. "I should have seen this coming."

"We all should have." Yui said. "But blaming ourselves now isn't going to help Luna. Right now, we need to come up with a way to go after those two."

"Yeah, but how?" Naoki asked. "And on top of that, who is this Fenrir girl? This is supposed to be a quest, but it's way too specifically focused on Luna."

"There's no way to know the answers for sure." Yui said. "But ALO is run by the Cardinal system. It could be that it was able to notice who Luna was from when she was a Navigation Pixie and created this quest as a result using its programing to use Norse mythology to create quests."

"But could the Cardinal system actually do something on this large a scale?" Sayak asked.

"It's a complex system designed to run on its own, created by Kayaba himself. I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility." Yui noted. She recalled back to the quest in Jotunheim decades ago when her father had managed to obtain Excalibur. That quest had put all of Alfheim on the brink of destruction. If it was possible to do that, then a quest focused on Luna could also theoretically be done by the same system.

' _Either way, this is still a quest. Meaning there has to be some way to clear it.'_ Yui thought to herself. ' _Does that mean there's a way to break the barrier somehow? Or is it going to make Luna have to do the rest herself? I really hope it isn't the latter.'_

"Move back guys." Lilly said, taking aim at the barrier with her Elemental Pistol. "I'm going to try and bust through."

Sayaka felt a nervous sweat go down her back when she saw her friend prepare to go for an all out assault on the barrier. "Lilly, try and keep calm. We can't-"

"I can't keep calm, damnit!" Lilly shouted. "My little sister is up there with Fenrir, who's trying to turn her into that… that THING we saw before! I can't just stand around and do nothing!"

"Liily, we get it. You're worried. We all are." Yui said. "But blasting that barrier isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Then what are we supposed to do?!"

None of them had an answer for her. They needed to figure something out. As they tried to come up with a plan, they heard the doors open from behind them. Several Aesir guards rushed in.

"We really don't have time for this." Naoki said as they all readied to fight.

The guard that seemed to be the captain of the squad stepped forward. "Where is Fenrir? Tell us now, enemies of Aesir!"

"Wait! We're not your enemies!" Yui said, trying to ease the situation. "Fenrir has one of our friends captured and took off with her."

The guards all glanced at each other. "Why should we believe you?" the captain asked.

"I know you have no reason to trust us. We attacked you, and we're sorry." she said. Yui then pointed to the barrier behind her. "But unless we can get past this barrier, then Fenrir is going to use our friend to destroy both Aesir and all of the worlds linked by the World Tree."

"Please! Is there any way you can help us?" Tetsuya asked.

The captain was silent as he considered the words of the fairies. Finally he nodded. "Very well. I will decide to trust you." He stepped forward towards the barrier. "I should be able to dissolve this barrier rather quickly."

"Thank you very much." Lilly said with a grateful bow.

"Yeah. And you can trust us to give that Fenrir a good pounding." Rin told them.

"The fate of Asgard rests with you all. The fate of all of the worlds for that matter." the captain said. "We're counting on you."

Within a minute, the barrier began dissolving due to the magic of the captain guard. They could finally move on. The fairies quickly brought out their wings and took off into the air after Fenrir.

' _Hang on Luna. We're coming.'_ Rin and Lilly both thought as they flew as fast as they could. The two sisters led the charge with the rest of the fairies following close behind. They were going to rescue Luna and not even Fenrir was going to stop them from accomplishing that mission.

Soon the clouds were behind them all. A colorful background of blue and green surrounded them as they flew towards the intersection of the worlds. As they flew, yui couldn't help but be concerned about something. "Hmm…"

"What is it, Yui?" Strea asked.

"Well… it's something that I recalled." Yui said. "There were three beings in Nordic mythology whose role was bringing about the end of the world. Jormungandr was one. The second was Fenrir. But there was a third among them."

"And the Cardinal system uses mythology and stories online as a basis for quests." Sayaka said, realizing where Yui was going with this.

Yui nodded her head. Soon, she saw a figure in the distance. "Look out!"

Catching sight of an energy blast coming their way at the last minute, the group all managed to dodge just in time. Soon after, the one that had fired the magic attack descended near them. It was a female with two black devilish wings. A dark spear was in her hands. She had long black hair and a violet dress with yellow eyes.

"Well seems we found the third one of the trio." Yui said. "Hel. Goddess of death."

"So you know of me." Hel said with a smirk. "Sadly, it won't do you any good. I will not allow you to go any further. The ritual shall not be interrupted."

Rin cracked her knuckles. "Then I guess we'll just have to make this quick."

"Hold on." Yui said. She flew in front of the two Hiryo sisters. "We'll handle this. You two go on ahead."

"What?!" Lilly gasped. "But Yui-"

"Like you said, we don't have time to waste." Yui told them. "So let us keep Hel busy. You two fly on ahead and save Luna."

"Yeah. Leave it to us." Naoki said with a grin. "We'll take this chick down and catch up with you in no time."

"You guys…" Rin said. A smile came to her lips. "Thanks. We owe you."

"Don't mention it. Now get going." Tetsuya told them.

Hel twirled her spear skillfully in her hands. "Do you really think I'll make it so easy for you to pass?" Suddenly, Strea came at her from the side, swinging her large sword down at the demon. Hel brought her spear up to block the attack.

"You're fighting us!" Strea told her. She glanced over to Rin and Lilly. "Go you two! Hurry!"

Rin and Lilly took off as fast as they could, using the opening Strea had provided for them. Hel attempted to fire a blast of magic energy at the two girls, but a flurry of icicles from Sayaka interrupted her.

"I'd focus on us if I were you." Sayaka said.

"You impudent little fairies…" Hel growled. "Fine then! I'll simply kill you all here! Fenrir can take care of those two!"

"You're wrong on two counts, unfortunately." Tetsuya said, readying to fight. "Firstly, nothing is stopping those two. Not even Fenrir."

"And second, you're not beating us." Yui said. "We're taking you down."

Hel growled at them. "Fine! Let's see you try!"

"Sayaka! Stay back and focus on support!" Yui called out. The Undine girl nodded and fell back to the rear of the group. "Tetsuya, hit her with some magic!"

"You got it!" Tetsuya said. He chanted out a spell and fired several blades of wind towards Hel.

Hel twirled her spear around, blocking Tetsuya's magic attack before it could hit her. "Is that all you-"

"Strea! Naoki! Do it!"

Suddenly, both Naoki and Strea charged at Hel with their swords gripped tightly in their hands. Hel blocked their swords with her spear but the combined strength of the two pushed her back. As she attempted to recover her balance, Yui closed the distance between them. Both of her swords glowed with different shades of light.

"Dual Skill! Diamond Storm!" Yui shouted. She unleashed a series of eight slashes that cut into the exposed Hel, depleting her health.

"Nice! Yui's Dual Skill that she got from Kayaba!" Strea grinned. "Take her down, sis!"

"Damn you…" Hel quickly swung her spear, knocking Yui aside. "You'll pay for that!" She flew after Yui, readying her spear to skewer the female Spriggan. Yui quickly reacted though and used her two swords to guide the attack away, the shaft of the spear grinding across the two blades.

"Hang on, Yui! We're coming!" Strea called out as she, Naoki and Tetsuya flew at Hel.

"Pesky little flies. Die!" Hel shouted, turning around and firing several streams of energy at the fairies. Strea, Naoki, and Tetsuya were each hit and knocked back.

"Hang on! I'll heal you guys!" Sayaka said, quickly beginning to chant a healing spell.

"Oh no you don't!" Hel said. She swooped towards Sayaka, who gasped in fear as the demon closed in. Before it could reach her though, Naoki intercepted Hel and blocked her attack.

"You're not laying one hand on her." Naoki grunted.

"Naoki!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"What are you doing?! Hurry up and heal the others!" Naoki shouted, doing his best to hold back Hel while losing ground.

Sayaka quickly nodded, not wanting to waste the chance Naoki had given her. She quickly got to work on chanting a healing spell for the party. Naoki tried to hold off Hel in the meantime, but the superior strength of the enemy cast him aside. She broke his stance and plunged her spear into him. He cried out in pain as his HP plumited.

"You'll be my first victim!" Hel grinned. As she watched Naoki's HP get lower and lower, a sudden slash cut into her from behind, making her cry out in pain. "Ah!"

"You won't be having any victims!" Strea said. "We're taking you down and then we're going to save Luna!"

Hel removed her spear and distanced herself from the group. "You think you can stop Jormungandr's revival? Ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is you trying to turn Luna into a monster." Yui glared. "You have no right to force that on her."

"She is nothing more than a vessel for Jormungandr." Hel said. "What concern should I have for a mere child?"

"... You know, you're lucky Rin and Lilly went on ahead." Strea said. "Cause if they heard you say that, you'd be history right now."

"But don't worry. We'll give you a world of hurt in their place." Tetsuya said. "Now get ready!"

Hel chuckled to herself. "Very well. Since you're so determined, allow me to show you what you're getting yourselves into." With that, Hel threw her spear up into the air. Her hands glowed with a dark aura as she prepared to use magic. Yui and the others prepared for a long range attack, but to their surprise, Hel's magic seemed to focus on her spear. The weapon multiplied until there were four spears. They each hovered around her, like knights protecting a queen.

"Well that's a neat trick." Naoki said, keeping his guard up.

Hel giggled as she looked at the fairies. "Playtime is over, little flies. Time for you to die."

"Get ready guys! Here she comes!" Yui warned.

With a wave of her hand, Hel's four spears went flying at the group. Yui and the others scattered, doing their best to avoid the weapons. Yui saw one of the spears come near her and brought her two swords up to defend herself. But the spear quickly twirled around, the shaft hitting her in the back. With her guard broken, the bladed tip of the weapon scratched her, taking out even more of her HP. Tetsuya tried to use his speed to evade the spear chasing after him, but to no avail. He received a large gash from the blade of one of the spears, bringing his health down into the red. Naoki and Sayaka also found themselves unable to defend against the spears. Sayaka was doing her best with healing magic to try and keep her friends alive.

' _Damn it. We can't get close with her controlling four weapons remotely like this.'_ Yui thought. ' _What do we do?'_

"Hahaha! What's wrong?! Didn't you say you were going to give me a world of hurt?!" Hel laughed, mocking them. She brought her spears back near her, showing them off as her absolute shield. "This is what happens when you meddle in affairs that don't concern you!"

' _I've got no choice. It's all or nothing.'_ Yui thought. She glanced up at her health bar. It was at about 60% right now after Sayaka's healing spell. Yui grabbed a health potion and guzzled it down, bringing her health back to full. She was going to need every last sliver of health she could get.

"Listen up guys. I'll deflect the spears. I can give you guys a brief window of maybe a few seconds to attack." Yui said. "So be ready to hit her with everything you've got."

"Yui, what are you planning?" Sayaka asked.

"It's a little technique I've been practicing. I haven't fully mastered it yet though." Yui said. "But right now, it might just be our only chance."

Strea widened her eyes. "You're going to use _that_ , aren't you?"

Yui nodded in confirmation. Strea was the only other person other than herself that new of the existence of what she was about to do. "Yeah."

"What are you whispering about? Not that it matters." Hel said. "Time to end this."

"I couldn't agree more!" Yui said, flapping her wings as she charged forward at Hel.

"Die!" Hel said as she sent her four spears flying at Yui.

' _Here goes nothing.'_ Yui thought. She readied both of her swords as she assumed a new stance. Both of her swords lit up, one with a radiant blue and the other with a beautiful emerald.

"She's using a Dual Skill." Naoki realized. "But... which one is that?"

"It's a new one." Strea said. "And it's pretty damn powerful."

' _Here's my version of your favorite skill, dad.'_ Yui thought silently as she watched the spears come her way. ' _The new Starburst Stream.'_

"Dual Skill! Starburst Nebula!"

With a downwards diagonal slash, Yui managed to hold back the first spear for a brief moment, just in time for an upwards slash from her second sword to deflect the projectile and send it flying. She then spun her body around and delivered a twin horizontal slash that blew away the second spear.

Hel gasped as she saw her first two spears blown aside so easily. "What?!"

Yui wasn't finished yet though. She swung her swords left and right, a flurry of lights moving as if she was dancing almost with her swords. She managed to deflect the third and fourth spears like she had with the first two.

"Now guys!" Yui shouted.

Hel couldn't believe her eyes. One fairy had cast aside her four spears in an instant. She saw Strea Naoki and Tetsuya close in as their swords glowed from sword skill activations as well. "Impossible…"

"Take this!" Strea shouted as she slashed her sword down along Hel's body. Naoki did the same, with Tetsuya unleashing a flurry of thrusts from his rapier.

Yui looked at Hel's HP bar, watching it go down into the red. Just a little more and they could finish this. In the corner of her eye though, she saw the spears she had blown away begin to come back, targeting her friends.

"I will not let you stop Jormungandr's revival!" Hel shouted.

"Look out!" Yui exclaimed.

Strea looked back after hearing her sister's shout and gasped as a spear came at her. She wouldn't have enough time to dodge it. But before the spear could strike her, her eyes widened when Yui moved in and took the attack from the spear. The weapon impaled her, but Yui gripped the shaft tightly with her hands.

"Yui!" Strea gasped.

"Hurry Strea!" Yui shouted. "Finish it!"

Strea hated seeing her sister in pain, but she knew that if she didn't use this chance then Yui shielding her would be for nothing. She gripped her sword tightly and activated another sword skill.

"This is the end!" Strea yelled.

Hel gasped as the sword came down at her. The slash cut her HP down. The female demon let out a cry of pain as she fell beneath the clouds. Soon, the four spears dissolved into nothingness, including the one impaled into Yui.

Sayaka hurried over to the female Spriggan and began healing her. "Are you alright, Yui?"

"Yeah… More or less." Yui nodded.

The others soon gathered around Yui, recovering from the fight against Hel. IT had been a difficult battle for them. But they couldn't afford to stand around for long.

"We need to hurry after Rin and Lilly." Yui said. "Those two are going to need our help."

* * *

Luna tried to break free of the chains binding her, but no matter how much she struggled, it didn't matter. The chains were too strong and they had her wrapped tightly.

"Why are you doing this?!" Luna asked. "Why do you want to destroy everything?!"

"Why? Because that's what I was born to do, that's why." Fenrir said. "Just like what it was what you were born for, Jormungandr."

"I told you, I'm not Jormungandr!"

"Maybe not, but it does sleep inside you. At least a small fraction of it." Fenrir explained. "But with this ritual, I can bring back Jormungandr at its full strength!"

"I won't let you!" Luna told her. "I'm never becoming Jormungandr again!"

"Unfortunately, you don't really have any say in the matter." Fenrir said. Finally, the two of them arrived at a new location. "Here we are."

Luna looked at her surroundings. It was an open temple-like place. Stone pillars rose up near the center. Around it was a peaceful scenery of stone and grass.

"Where is this?" Luna asked.

"It's called the Gateway of Yggdrasil. It links all of the worlds together. Asgard. Alfheim. Every world linked by what you fairies call the World Tree." Fenrir explained. "And this is where we will gather the remaining energy of Jormungandr and awaken it!"

Luna could do nothing but struggle as she hovered over towards the center with Fenrir. The chains around her suddenly let her loose, but before she could do anything, they shackled to her wrists and stretched out, embedding themselves in two of the stone pillars. Her arms were stretched out, keeping her from doing anything with them.

"Finally! After all this time, our goal is at reach!" Fenrir laughed. "All of the worlds shall be destroyed completely!"

' _No… I need to do something.'_ Luna thought as she tried to free herself, but to no avail.

 _ **Let go of your attachments to your old life.**_

Luna widened her eyes in fear as she heard the voice in her head. ' _No… It can't be…'_

 _ **Give in, child. Let us destroy everything, like we were born to do. It is your destiny.**_

' _Jormungandr…'_

"Luna!"

The sudden shout caught both Luna and Fenrir's attention as they saw Rin and Lilly arrive at the Gateway to Yggdrasil as well. The two sisters stood together, determined to save Luna.

"Rin! Lilly!" Luna gasped.

"Let her go, you stupid mutt!" Rin glared. "If you do, we'll at least let you live."

Fenrir giggled to herself. "Hehehe, what utter foolishness. To think you'd chase me all the way here."

"Luna's our sister. We'd do anything for her." Lilly told her firmly.

"I must say, you two are quite brave to face certain death so boldly." Fenrir told them. A smirk stretched across her face as she looked at Rin and Lilly. "But you're meddling has come to an end. Time for you to die."

 **A/N: Next chapter is going to be the exciting finale to this arc. Plenty of twists and surprises in store. Look forward to it everyone.**


	75. Luna and Jormungandr

**A/N: Hey guys, was able to get this chapter out surprisingly quick. Before we get into it, I have a few announcements.**

 **For those of you asking if I'm going to do an Alicization story for Ren and the others, the answer is maybe. With how the arc goes, the first half of Alicization would be really hard to get Wyvern's Inferno to fit in. So if I do end up doing an Alicization story, it will likely be dealing with the second half where I can fit my OCs in MUCH easier, based on what's going to happen.**

 **Next up, I am taking a small hiatus from this fic. There are two reasons for this. First off, I want to get out the next Lost Story, so I need to set aside time for that. Second, after the next Lost Story is done, I plan on possibly doing a "movie fic" for Ren and co. This one will not be like the Ordinal Scale section of Lost Stories, but will instead be its own original story of what I would do for a movie for Wyvern's Inferno had this ever become its own anime.**

 **Lastly, involving the movie fic I just spoke of, I wanted to hear everyone's opinion on something. Would you like this movie fic to involve Luna or not? If it does, it will obviously be an AU, separate from the canon story of Wyvern's Inferno. If not, it will be canon. Let me know via review or PM which you guys would like to see. Note that Luna's involvement or not will not affect the story itself in any major way. Luna will simply be included in the cast in the setting of the AU where she did not "die" in the Jormungandr event in blazing Revolution.**

 **With all that out of the way, let's get on with the chapter, and the finale of this arc.**

The Gateway of Yggdrasil was silent as Rin and Lilly stood across from Fenrir. Behind the wolf-like girl, Luna was chained and helpless. The two sisters saw her suffering, as if she was in pain. Their anger from that was only intensified by the smirk on Fenrir's lips.

"You ready, Lilly?" Rin said.

"Yeah." Lilly said, drawing her blade. "Let's do this."

"How cute. The two of you think you have a chance against me." Fenrir taunted. "What utter foolishness."

"Let's see if you're still saying that after we're through with you." Rin said. She kicked off the ground and sped at Fenrir, followed by Lilly. "Now why don't you be a good dog and play dead!"

Fenrir let out a small giggle as she snapped her fingers. "Kill them, Nidhogg."

From the corner of their vision, Rin Lilly caught sight of a sudden figure zooming at them. Both of them leaped away as the new adversary crashed down where they had just been standing. Looking at the creature, they saw a large dragon with red-violet scales and bat-like wings for arms. It let out a roar as it looked at the two girls.

"What's this? Too scared to fight us on your own?" Rin asked.

"Don't misunderstand." Fenrir explained. "I simply cannot be bothered to deal with the two of your right now." She turned around and walked towards Luna. "I have a ritual to perform."

"Hey! Get back here!" Lilly shouted. She attempted to go after Fenrir, but another roar from the dragon Nidhogg told her that wasn't happening until they dealt with it. "Damnit."

"Get ready. Here it comes." Rin said.

Nidhogg flapped its wings and came flying at the two girls. Rin and Lilly split up, trying to divide its attention.

Lilly quickly summoned her familiar to her side. "Nikko! Fireball attack!" Obeying its master, the small dragon sent a blast of fire at Nidhogg. The Cait Sith also followed up with a barrage of fire bullets from her Elemental Pistol. The long range attack hit Nidhogg, gaining its aggro. The beast glared at them, as it began flying towards Lilly and Nikko.

"Now Rin!" Lilly shouted.

"Right!" Coming in from above, Rin slammed her fist down on the dragon's back. It roared in pain as its HP fell. The female Salamander grinned. "How do you like that, you dumb lizard?!"

Luna watched the fight going on. "Rin… Lilly…"

"Heh, what fools." Fenrir said. "As if that would be enough to defeat Nidhogg."

Recovering from the impact of Rin's punch, Nidhogg roared as it violently thrashed about. Rin attempted to distance herself from the dragon, but its tail came and slammed against her, sending her crashing along the ground of the floating temple. It then lunged at her, slamming one of its claws against Rin, pinning the girl to the ground as her HP fell.

"See? There's no way they can win." Fenrir said, turning her attention back to Luna. "Now then, let's begin."

Luna trembled in fear as the stone pillars around them began to glow. Violet streaks of electricity ran along the chains, converging on her. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Luna's screams of pain caught Rin and Lilly's attention as they glanced over and gasped. "Luna!"

 _ **Give in, child. Let me take control. Then, the pain will end.**_

"No…" Luna grunted, refusing to do as the voice in her head told her. "I'll… never give in…"

 _ **It will happen regardless. You cannot endure forever. Eventually, you will be unable to keep me contained. We are one and the same.**_

"You're wrong…" Luna choked out.

Seeing the young Imp in pain, Rin struggled to get Nidhogg off of her. But the force of the beast pressing down on her was too great. She called out to Lilly. "Go to Luna! This thing can't Stop you if its holding me down!"

Lilly didn't like the idea of leaving Rin in the situation she was in, but she knew that her priority needed to be saving Luna right now. She took off towards the altar where Fenrir and Luna were.

Rin smirked as she looked up at Nidhogg. "What now? Can't deal with both of us at once, can you?" She was quickly proven wrong however, when Nidhogg tightened its grip and lifted her up. It flew at Lilly while holding onto Rin. As it closed in, the dragon threw Rin directly at her sister. Lilly saw it coming too late as Rin collided into her and the two crashed into the ground, moaning in pain. Nidhogg then breathed a stream of fire at the two girls, which they quickly flew away from at the last second.

"Damnit. This thing's tough." Rin grunted.

"What do we do?" Lilly asked aloud. She racked her brain for a plan, but was coming up empty. They needed to defeat Nidhogg fast, but the way things were going this fight would take too long.

Rin saw the dragon prepare to rush them again. "Damnit, here it comes!"

Suddenly, Lilly noticed her familiar nudge against her. "What is it, Nikko?" The dragon chirped at her, as if trying to say something. Lilly soon realized what it was trying to tell her. ' _That's right… I still have that.'_

"Rin, think you can keep ugly here busy for about ten seconds?" Lilly asked. "I have an idea."

Rin nodded her head. "You got it, sis." She took off flying at Nidhogg to keep the beast distracted. "Alright, you stupid monster! Bring it on!"

As Rin held Nidhogg's attention. Lilly and her familiar glanced each other and nodded simultaneously. She had been keeping this move hidden, knowing it was something only to be used in a desperate situation. But situations rarely got more desperate than this.

' _I really hope this works.'_ Lilly thought. Nikko flew up and hovered right above its master. Lilly closed her eyes and began reciting a spell. ' _Stay in perfect synch with Nikko. Master and familiar, with the same heart and mind.'_

As Lilly finished reciting the spell both her body and Nikko's began to glow. The shining light caught the attention of Rin and Nidhogg. "Lilly…"

"What's she doing?" Fenrir questioned with narrowed eyes.

As the light began to die down, Nikko was no longer above Lilly. The Cait Sith girl was also changed. Her usual Cait Sith wings and tail were replaced by yellow dragon wings and a tail, just like her familiar's. A golden aura surrounded her.

"Holy cow!" Rin exclaimed. "Where have you been hiding this move, sis?!"

' _I can feel it. Nikko's energy, flowing through me. So much power.'_ Lilly thought to herself. She glared down at Nidhogg. "Alright. Get ready for my Perfect Synchronization!"

Flying even faster than before, Lilly zoomed at Nidhogg. The dragon attempted to swipe its claw at her, but Lilly quickly dodged the attack and got in close to the dragon's exposed chest. She held her hand out.

"Take this!" Lilly shouted. Out of nowhere, a powerful stream of fire shot out from the Cait Sith's palm, blasting Nidhogg away.

Rin was left speechless at her sister's sudden increase in power. "Lilly… How did you do this?! You've got so much power now!"

Lilly looked over at her sister. "It's a special high level Cait Sith spell called Perfect Synchronization. It allows a player and their familiar to become one temporarily. The Cait Sith leader approached me a month or so after the incident with Team Demise. She said she wanted to thank me for my help in stopping their plan, as well as congratulate me for how I did in the Annual Tournament. So she taught me this spell.

"You sneaky little rat. Keeping this hidden from me." Rin grinned. "Alright. We can totally take this dragon down now."

Flames came out from Lilly's hands as she blasted Nidhogg down below with as much power as she could muster. The dragon roared in pain as it bathed in Lilly's flames.

Fenrir noticed Nidhogg beginning to lose ground. "Tch, I can't believe they're giving Nidhogg this much trouble." She called out to the dragon. "Nidhogg! Kill them both! Unleash your full power and destroy them!"

From the multitude of flames, Nidhogg's eyes turned red as it glared at Rin and Lilly through the fire. It roared as it flew out from the flames and sped at Rin and Lilly.

"No way!" Lilly gasped.

Nidhogg roared as it flew at Rin and Lilly. It maneuvered its body and got behind the two of them. Before either of the girls could react, Nidhogg swung its tail at them, sending both Rin and Lilly crashing into the ground. As they tried to get up, Nidhogg spewed out a violet mist from its mouth. It quickly engulfed Rin and Lilly, and the two girls soon found it difficult to breathe.

"What's… going on?" Rin choked out as she coughed.

Lilly looked at her HUD, noticing an icon next to her health bar. "It's a poison status… I can't… breathe…."

Fenrir smirked as she saw the two sisters completely helpless. "This is what happens when you try to go against destiny. Now suffer." Using magic, she sent a stream of electricity at the two girls. Rin and Lilly both cried out in pain, unable to do anything. They were completely at Fenrir's mercy.

Luna widened her eyes in horror as she listened to her sisters screaming. "Please! Stop it! Don't hurt them!"

"You just sit back there and stay quiet. You should be more focussed on trying to hold back Jormungandr." Fenrir told her.

"I'LL DO IT!"

Luna's shout caused Fenrir to glance back at the young Imp. "Hm?"

"I'll become Jormungandr." Luna said. "I'll do it, so please… stop hurting them…"

Fenrir's lips curved upwards. "Very well. If it means you'll stop resisting, then that's fine with me." She ceased her attack on the two sisters and called out to Nidhogg. "That's enough. Leave them be."

Obeying Fenrir, Nidhogg stopped its poison breath and descended to Fenrir's side. The mist around Rin and Lilly soon dispersed, but they were both too weak to stand. They had both reached their limit. Even Lilly's Perfect Synchronization had been deactivated, her familiar lying on the ground near her.

Leaving the two nuisances to lie down in defeat, Fenrir brought her full attention back to Luna. She grinned madly. Finally her goal was going to be achieved. "Now awaken. Demonic serpent that devours worlds. Wake up, Jormungandr!"

Black energy came out from Fenrir's palms and began to engulf Luna's body. Luna felt pain rush throughout her body as she screamed in pain. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The sound of Luna's screaming managed to bring Rin and Lilly out of their daze. They slowly managed to get to their feet, though neither of them were able to move much.

"Damnit.. We have to stop this…" Rin grunted.

Lilly took aim with her Elemental Pistol, still having a few bullets leftover. She snapped her fingers several times, unleashing every last ounce of ammo she had at Fenrir from behind. The wolf-like girl noticed the attack coming her way at the last moment and quickly brought up a barrier of magic to defend herself.

"So… you still want to fight." Fenrir said. "That little fairy was willing to sacrifice herself to save you two just now. Are you really going to trample on her decision?"

"We could never accept something like that." Lilly said with a glare. "If it's for Luna, we'll endure any level of suffering."

"That's what it means to be a family, you worthless mutt." Rin told her, pointing at Fenrir. "Something you wouldn't understand."

"Who gives a damn about something as worthless as that?!" Fenrir shouted. "Family?! Bonds?! Do you really expect me to lose to such trivial things?!"

"It's because you don't get it that you'll lose." Rin said. "We won't accept Luna sacrificing herself for us. She's our sister and we're not about to let her turn into some monster."

Fenrir growled as she looked at the two girls. "Fine! If you have a death wish, then so be it! Nidhogg, kill them! Tear them limb from limb!"

The dragon roared as it prepared to attack Rin and Lilly. It lunged at the two of them, but before it could reach them, a blast of magic came and hit it. Nidhogg suddenly found part of its body frozen to the ground. Immediately after, a new figure came in and slammed into the dragon. The rest of its HP was taken out and the beast shattered into fragments.

"What?!" Fenrir gasped. "Who did that?!"

"Heh, sorry we're late." the figure that killed Nidhogg said. They turned around, revealing it to be Strea. "That demon girl gave us more trouble than we expected."

"Strea?!" Rin and Lilly exclaimed.

"It's not just me." Strea grinned, pointing behind Rin and Lilly. The two girls turned around and saw Yui and the rest of their friends rushing over.

Naoki waved to the Hiryo sisters. "Hey you two. You didn't miss us too much, did you?"

Fenrir growled in frustration. "Impudent little fairies…"

"It's over, Fenrir." Yui said. "Now let Luna go. Or we'll force you to."

"To think Hel would lose to the likes of you." Fenrir said. "It seems I underestimated you all. Very well then." The look in her eyes changed, going from that of a girl to one of a ferocious predator. "I'll just have to kill you all myself!"

Fenrir let out a howl as the wind kicked up around her. Everyone was blown back, unable to endure to force. The girl's form began to change. The blue fur she had on her ears and tail spread across her entire body. She then began to grow in size and change form. Soon the young looking girl was gone and replaced by a giant blue wolf on four legs. Sharpened claws and fangs were bared as Fenrir glared at the fairies.

"Seems she's finally gotten serious." Yui said.

"I will not allow you to destroy everything I have worked for!" Fenrir spoke. "I will kill you all! And then Jormungandr will awaken and help us destroy all of the worlds!"

"You really need to use those ears of yours." Lilly said. "We've already told you. That's not going to happen."

"I've heard enough. Now die."

Fenrir lunged at the group, but Naoki and Strea took the lead and held the wolf back. Yui then leaped in with her two swords and slashed Fenrir, forcing her to fall back. Yui and the others soon led Fenrir away from the alter, both sides being fully caught up in the fight.

Sayaka quickly began reciting a healing spell for Rin and Lilly. "Hang on. I'll have you healed up soon."

"Thanks Sayaka." Lilly said as she and her sister guzzled down a health potion to further speed up the recovery. Once their HP was fully restored, she was about to go help the others fight Fenrir until Rin grabbed her by the arm. "What?"

"Lilly, let's let Yui and the others deal with Fenrir for now." Rin suggested. "While they're keeping her distracted, we can go free Luna."

"But-"

"Lilly, right now we can get to Luna. Remember why we're here." Rin told her sister.

Lilly didn't like the idea of leaving their friends to face Fenrir on their own. But she couldn't deny that rin was right. Their main focus needed to be on saving Luna.

"Get going you two." Sayaka told them. "Leave Fenrir to us."

Rin and Lilly both nodded as they rushed to the altar. Once they reached it, they saw a black sphere where Luna was. Though they could barely make her out inside, both of them could clearly hear the screams of pain from the agony Luna was in. Rin looked to the chains and attempted to remove them, but the second she touched the chains, an electric shock forced her to remove her hold.

"Luna!" Lilly shouted to her sister. She hated seeing her in so much pain. "She must be doing everything she can to hold back Jormungandr."

"You have to fight it, Luna!" Rin told her. "You're not Jormungandr anymore!"

"That's right!" Lilly added. "You've moved past that! You're your own person now!"

' _I'm not… Jormungandr…'_ Luna thought, hearing the words of her sisters. She wanted to believe it was true. She wanted to believe it more than anything. But in the end, she knew that wasn't the case. ' _Jormungandr… is a part of me.'_

Suddenly, Luna's screaming stopped. She became completely silent. Rin and Lilly looked at each other worriedly, fearing the worst.

"Luna!" they both shouted, trying to reach their sister. "Luna!"

* * *

' _Where am I?'_

Luna suddenly found herself in an empty space, filled with nothing but darkness. Nothingness stretched out for what seemed like forever in every direction. She was all alone.

"Rin? Lilly? Where are you?" Luna asked.

 _ **They cannot hear you.**_

Luna gasped as a new figure slowly began to manifest in front of her. It slowly formed the shape of a snake. The one that she had been terrified of all this time.

"Jormungandr…"

 _ **The time for games is over. Give up your body to me.**_

Luna shook her head. "No! I won't do it!"

 _ **Foolish girl! You are weak! I am the demonic snake of legend! How can you possibly think you can win against me?! Against my anger and hatred from being sealed away for so long, you are nothing!**_

Despite the snake roaring at her, Luna stood firm. "Even still, I won't let you win! You won't beat me!"

 _ **Beat me?! You ARE me! Let go of those foolish human ties you hold onto! You were meant to become one with me and destroy everything! It is the reason you were born! The reason both of us were born!**_

"The reason… we were born…" Luna said. She frowned. She couldn't fully deny that. When she was first created as an AI, it was for an event in ALO. She was never supposed to survive past that. But she had. Because of the combined efforts of her mother and father, and all of their friends.

 _ **That's right. We are one and the same. Now give in and accept your destiny. Become one with me and-**_

"So what if we were born for destruction?" Luna said, cutting off the snake.

 _ **What nonsense are you talking about now?**_

"It's not nonsense." Luna said. "What we were born for doesn't matter. What matters it that we're alive. That gives us the freedom to choose what we become." She looked Jormungandr dead in the eye. "So I choose not to become a being of destruction. If I did, it would make Mama, Papa, and everyone else sad. I don't want them to feel sad."

 _ **So what? You expect me to just accept that and disappear?**_

Luna shook her head. "No. Just like me, you also have a right to live your life. Simply getting rid of you wouldn't be right. Also… I know what you mean. The emptiness of being trapped in darkness for so long. All alone. It hurts. It hurts enough to tear your heart to pieces."

 _ **Fool. You think some pretty words can make anything happen. We are one and the same. We can live separately. One of us can't be in control without the other being wiped out.**_

"Then let's both be in control." Luna suggested.

 _ **What?**_

"If I got rid of you, I'd only be running from what I am." Luna said. "You're still a part of me. The part of me that took all of my hatred and negativity. So let's share this body I have and truly be one."

Silence passed as Luna and Jormungandr stared at each other, eye to eye. Finally, the snake let out a sigh.

 _ **To think I'd be unable to defeat such a tiny little fairy. Very well. If I can't force you to kneel, then I'll go along with your proposal.**_

Jormungandr slowly shrank until it was just slightly taller than Luna. It coiled itself around Luna, transforming into light. Luna felt its warmth covering her entire body. She briefly noticed a window appear before her.

New skill obtained.

* * *

Fenrir roared as she battled against the group of fairies. She was beginning to grow more and more annoyed by the pests keeping her from her goal.

"Enough!" Fenrir howled, kicking up a tornado around her that blew Yui and the others back. "I will not allow you to hinder me any longer!"

"Damn, she's tough." Tetsuya grunted, fatigue starting to take its toll on him and the others.

The wolf lunged at Yui, who brought her swords up to hold back Fenrir's sharp fangs. ' _Damnit… It's all we can do to keep Fenrir busy.'_

"Yui!" Strea shouted in worry.

"You're meddling ends here!" Fenrir growled. "Now DIE!"

As Yui felt herself beginning to lose ground, a sudden whip came out of nowhere, lashing across Fenrir's back. The wolf howled in pain as it backed off. "Who did that?!" Looking over towards the direction the whip had come from, the wolf widened its eyes to see the one assailant she had never expected.

Luna.

"Luna?!" Yui exclaimed. "Are you alright?!"

Luna nodded her head. "Yes. I'm fine now."

"Impossible…" Fenrir growled. "Jormungandr was supposed to possess you! How could you have fought it off!" Not waiting for an answer, Fenrir shook its head. "It doesn't matter. There's no way you could resist it a second time." Fenrir howled as a black sphere of energy once again engulfed Luna, trapping her inside.

"Luna!" Yui gasped.

Fenrir smirked at its victory, but barely a few seconds passed by before the sphere Luna was in shattered into pieces. The wolf was stunned, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"This can't be happening…" Fenrir said. "She banished Jormungandr from herself completely?"

Luna shook her head. "You're wrong. I didn't get rid of Jormungandr."

"What?"

"Jormungandr and I are now one and the same." Luna glared at the wolf. "And now it's time for some payback for hurting my friends!"

Out of nowhere, a sudden light engulfed Luna. When it died down, the young Imp was glowing with a violet aura. The aura also surrounded her sword, currently in her hand. With a swing of the blade, a long whip of energy came flying at Fenrir, hitting the wolf in the face.

"Gah!"

"Amazing…" Yui gasped.

"Let's do this, Jormungandr." Luna muttered. She dashed at Fenrir with surprising speed. She swung her sword, slashing Fenrir, and leaving a long red gash along the wolf's body as she dashed past her. Fenrir kneeled slightly, clearly injured.

' _Damnit. My mission's a failure at this rate.'_ Fenrir thought. ' _I'll have to retreat for now.'_

"Don't even think of trying to run." Rin said as she and Lilly walked up, sensing the enemy's plan to flee. "We have a lot to pay you back for."

"And you're going to take all of it in full." Lilly said, drawing her blade.

Fenrir tried to find a path to escape from but she was completely cornered. There was no means of escape for her.

Rin flapped her wings and sped at Fenrir. Her fist glowed with the light of a martial arts skill as she prepared to swing an uppercut. "This is for what you did to Luna!"

Fenrir felt the powerful force of Rin's fist hit her underbelly, making her fly up into the air. Lilly then took aim with her Elemental Pistol. "No one hurts our sister and gets away with it!"

Several shots of fire came and hit Fenrir midair, making her howl in pain. As the smoke was clearing while she fell, she saw Luna come at her from the corner of her eye.

"Jormungandr and I are not your puppets for destruction! Take this!"

Moving almost like a serpent, Luna slashed around Fenrir, bringing the wolf's HP down even further. Having no more strength left, her wolf appearance dissolved, turning back into the little girl from before. She hit the ground with a painful thud, no longer having the strength to even stand.

Yui and everyone soon had Fenrir surrounded, though it was clear the girl was no longer any threat to them. "It's over Fenrir. You've lost." Yui said.

Tears formed in Fenrir's eyes as they rolled down her cheeks. "Damnit… It's not fair… I was so close…"

"We should hand her over to those Aesir guys. They'll know what to do with her." Lilly suggested.

"On another topic…" Strea said as she turned to Luna. "What the hell was that just now?! You were so freaking awesome!"

All eyes fell on Luna, who rubbed the back of her head. "Well… I ended up meeting with Jormungandr inside my heart. I talked with him and well… we sort of fused."

"Fused?" Naoki asked. "Fused how?"

"It's kind of like we're the same person now." Luna explained. "When we fused, I got a notification saying I got a new skill called Demonic Serpent. It seems to allow me to transform the way you just saw briefly."

"So it's similar to Perfect Synchronization then…" Lilly realized. "That's really incredible."

After restraining Fenrir, the group brought her with them as they descended back to the realm of the Aesir. Once they arrived back at the throne room they had left from, they found several guards waiting for them. They all seemed relieved at the sight of Fenrir captured. As the group neared them, they quickly noticed a young girl with black hair that was chained up and in their custody.

"Who's this?" Yui asked.

"This is Hel, the third of the trio of destruction." the guard captain explained. "She fell down here beaten and injured. We believed it was your doing."

"Wait, this is that demon chick we fought?" Naoki asked. "But she looks so harmless now."

"The same can be said for Fenrir actually…" Sayaka realized.

The guard captain nodded his head. "These are not their real forms. However, at the same time, you could say they are."

Strea scratched her head. "That doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"It is the same as with that girl there." he explained, pointing at Luna. "Long ago, Fenrir and Hel were both slain. However, they desperately managed to survive by sending their remaining essences into the bodies of the two young girls you see here. However, unlike your friend, they were both fully possessed over time."

"And now, they will be put to death for their crimes." another guard said.

Fenrir and Hel both held their heads low. This was it. Execution. Not that they had expected anything less. The guards began to take them away, but a sudden shout stopped them.

"Wait!"

The call from Luna caused all heads to turn to her. "What is it?" the guard captain asked.

"Well…" Luna said. "If it's alright with you… I have an alternative to killing them."

Several eyes widened as they heard this. One of the guards yelled at Luna. "Foolish child! Don't trifle in matters of Aesir that aren't-" The guard was cut off as his captain signalled for him to be silent.

"What is this alternative you're suggesting?" the captain asked.

"Well… I was wondering… What if they helped rebuild Asgard. Fix all of the damage they did." Luna said.

The guard captain silently considered Luna's proposal. Fenrir called out to Luna. "What are you doing? Why are you trying to spare our lives after what we did to you?"

Luna looked the two girls in the eyes. "I was almost killed at one time too, all because Jormungandr was using me as a host. But here I am now. I was able to find new meaning to my life thanks to my Mama, Papa, my sisters, and all my friends. So I figured you could do the same. Try and find true meaning to your existence."

Fenrir and Hel looked at each other before turning their gazes back to Luna. "You're a strange one, girl." Fenrir said. "But… I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Luna, was it?" the guard captain said. "Considering you all helped us through this crisis, I suppose we can grant your request."

With that, the guards took Fenrir and Hel away to begin restoration of Asgard. A window appeared in front of Yui, signaling that they had cleared the quest.

"Hard to remember this was still a quest with everything that happened." Yui said, glancing through the items they had gotten. "The Cardinal system sure works in mysterious ways."

Luna felt both of her sisters place their hands on her shoulders. "Are you ok, Luna?" Lilly asked.

"Mhm." Luna nodded. "But I'm super tired after everything."

"Can't say I blame you." Rin smiled. "Anyhow, let's head home. How about it?"

Luna nodded her head eagerly as she went back to Alfheim with her sisters and friends. She looked up at the sky of Aesir. This adventure had been full of hardships for her. But at the same time, she didn't regret it. Because she was more at peace with herself than ever before now.

 **A/N: Hope you guys liked the arc. Like I said, there will be a bit of a hiatus for this story before it continues. But be on the lookout for the next Lost Story, which should be updated in the near future.**


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